Pitcher of the Week, June 22-28: Casey Kelly

Salem righty Casey Kelly only made one start last week, but he made it count, hurling seven innings of one hit, shutout ball at Kinston (Indians) June 27, striking out 4 and walking none, en route to winning SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week honors for June 22-28. This is Kelly's third Pitcher of the Week win in 2009, with all of them coming in the month of June. In six starts with Salem since being promoted, Kelly is 1-2 with a 2.02 ERA, allowing 8 earned runs on 21 hits over 35.2 innings pitched, holding opposing batters to an .165 average. He is currently the second ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Player of the Week, June 22-28: Derrik Gibson

Lowell's Derrik Gibson continued his charge out of the gate in the New York-Penn League posting a .455/.556/.727 line in the first full week of the season, with 4 doubles and 1 triple over 27 plate appearances (10 hits, 5 walks), scoring 4 runs and batting in 2, earning SoxProspects.com Player of the Week honors for June 22-28. In 10 games played on the young season, Gibson is hitting .471/.600/.735 with 5 doubles, 2 triples and 5 RBI. Gibson, 19, a second round pick in 2008, is currently the thirty-sixth ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Bailey back to Boston as Lowell hits DL

After starting just 2 of the last 9 games for the Red Sox, third baseman Mike Lowell was placed on the 15-day disabled list today with a strained right hip, the same hip on which he had surgery following the 2008 playoffs. He will be replaced on the Boston roster by Jeff Bailey, who will be in tonight's starting lineup against Baltimore, hitting ninth and playing first base. For Bailey, who has hit .259/.373/.424 for Triple-A Pawtucket this season and an impressive .316/.447/.526 over his last 10 games, this will be his third major league stint of 2009. In 23 games and 69 at-bats over his first two stays with Boston, Bailey put together .188/.309/.391 numbers with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.

PawSox edge Syracuse in 14 inning marathon

6/30 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket edged Syracuse 6-5 in 14 innings on Monday. Michael Bowden went 4.2 innings giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. He walked 3. Jose Vaquedano threw 1.2 innings giving up a run on a hit and a walk. He fanned 1. Javier Lopez pitched a scoreless inning allowing 1 hit. He had a strikeout. Marcus McBeth tossed a scoreless 1.2 frames. He allowed a hit and a walk. He struck out 2. Fernando Cabrera pitched a scoreless, hitless inning. He gave up a walk. Hunter Jones pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. He had a strikeout. Billy Traber pitched the final 2 innings and did not allow a run, a hit or a walk. He struck out 2. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 6 and scored 2 runs. Travis Denker went 2 for 6 with a RBI. Gil Velazquez went 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Portland downed New Hampshire 8-5 in a rain shortened completion of the previous night's suspended game. The game was called after 8 innings due to rain. Felix Doubront threw 1 inning on the previous day and did not allow a run or a hit. He walked 2 and had a strikeout. Jarrod Plummer threw 5.2 innings giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 5. Chad Rhoades pitched 1.1 scoreless, hitless frames. He struck out 1. Josh Reddick went 2 for 4. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 4 and scored 3 runs. Jon Still went 2 for 5 with a home run and 3 RBI. Ryan Kalish went 4 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBI. Lars Anderson had a home run in 3 at bats. The regularly scheduled game was postponed due to the weather.

Salem defeated Lynchburg 6-2. Kyle Weiland pitched 5.2 scoreless frames giving up 4 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 7. Ryne Miller tossed 2.1 frames allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Derrick Loop pitched a scoreless inning giving up 1 hit. He had a strikeout. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 5 with a home run. Tim Federowicz went 3 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. He is hitting .476 since his promotion. Yamaico Navarro went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Luis Exposito went 3 for 4 with a RBI. Kris Negron went 3 for 4 and scored 2 runs.

Lowell blanked Oneonta 5-0. Yeiper Castillo threw 6 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 4. William Latimer tossed a scoreless frame giving up 2 hits. He fanned 1. Tommy Hottovy threw a scoreless frame allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 1. Pedro Perez tossed a clean 9th inning and struck out 1. Derrick Gibson went 3 for 3 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Shannon Wilkerson went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Sean Killeen went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs.

Greenville was not scheduled to play on Monday and the Gulf Coast League game between the Red Sox and the Reds was cancelled due to rain.

Player of the Night: Ryan Kalish who went 4 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBI

Sox affiliates winless on Sunday

6/29 Cup of Coffee: On Sunday, Syracuse defeated Pawtucket 6-2. Charlie Zink went 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks. Rocky Cherry threw 2 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He fanned 2. Randor Bierd went 0.1 of an inning giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk. Billy Traber retired the 2 hitters he faced. Freddy Guzman went 3 for 5 with a RBI. Jeff Natale went 2 for 5 with a RBI. Dusty Brown went 3 for 4 and scored a run.

The Portland-New Hampshire game was suspended due to rain after the first inning with the Sea Dogs holding a 2-0 lead. The game will resume tonight as part of a doubleheader.

Lynchburg defeated Salem 4-2. Byran Price tossed 7 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 5. Kyle Fernandes threw 2 innings giving up a run on 4 hits and a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Luis Segovia went 2 for 3.

Asheville edged Greenville 5-4. Stephen Fife pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He fanned 4. Michael Lee went 2.1 frames giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 base on balls. Zach Gentile went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 4. Mitch Dening went 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Oneonta downed Lowell 9-3. Alex Wilson threw 2 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He did not give up a walk while striking out 2. Jeremy Kehrt threw 3.2 innings giving up 6 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He struck out 3. Dennis Neuman went 1.1 innings allowing 2 runs on a hit and a walk. Kyle Rutter pitched an inning giving up a run on a hit. He fanned 1. Derrik Gibson went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Dusty Brown who had 3 hits and scored a run

Mark Wagner promoted to Pawtucket

Catcher Mark Wagner has been promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and will join the team on Sunday, Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram has reported. After a down year in 2008, Wagner has enjoyed great success at the plate this season, hitting .301 with 18 doubles, 3 home runs, and 28 walks, posting a .410 on-base percentage and .477 slugging percentage. Wagner is also considered to have good defensive skills behind the plate, with the potential to be an excellent defensive catcher in the Majors.

The counter-move to Wagner's promotion is the demotion of John Otness from Pawtucket to Portland. Otness will split time behind the plate with Juan Apodaca, much as the two did when Wagner missed two weeks due to injury in late April/early May.

Kelly allows just 1 hit over 7 innings

6/28 Cup of Coffee: On Saturday, Pawtucket edged Syracuse 3-2. Clay Buchholz pitched 6 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6. Marcus McBeth threw 2 perfect innings of relief. He had 2 strikeouts. Hunter Jones pitched a perfect 9th recording a strikeout. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI. Dusty Brown and Angel Chavez each went 2 for 4.

Portland downed New Hampshire 3-1. Adam Mills went 7 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. He fanned 4. Dustin Richardson pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4. Argenis Diaz went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Josh Reddick went 1 for 4 with a home run.

Salem defeated Kinston 3-2 in 14 innings. Casey Kelly threw 7 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit. He did not give up a walk while striking out 4. Robert Coello pitched 0.2 of an inning giving up a run on 2 hits and 2 walks. Jason Rice threw 1.1 frames giving up a run on 2 walks. He fanned 2. Jose Capellan pitched 4 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Josh Papelbon threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit. He fanned 1. Che-Hsuan Lin went 4 for 5 and scored a run. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 7 with a RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 6 with a run scored. Luis Exposito went 2 for 6.

Asheville downed Greenville 5-3. Brock Huntzinger went 5 innings allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. He had 4 strikeouts. Leandro Marin pitched an inning and gave up a run on 2 hits and 2 walks. He fanned 1. Armando Zerpa pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He walked 2 and had 2 strikeouts. Zach Gentile went 3 for 5. Jared Stanley went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Mitch Dening went 3 for 5 with a RBI. Oscar Tejeda went 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Lowell downed Tri-City 4-1. Ryan Pressly went 5 innings allowing a run on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 2. Chad Povich tossed 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing 2 walks. He fanned 3. Jeremiah Bayer threw 2 scoreless, hitless innings and had 3 strikeouts. The offense managed 6 hits with 1 of them being a home run by Chris McGuiness who went 1 for 4.

In Rookie ball, the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 8-3. Randy Consuegra went 2.2 innings giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. He had 4 strikeouts. Jason Blackey pitched 1.1 scoreless, hitless frames. He gave up a walk and had 3 strikeouts. Hunter Cervenka tossed 2 perfect innings of relief. Richard Wasielewski tossed 1.2 frames and gave up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Dustin Mercadante went 0.1 of an inning and did not allow a run. He gave up 2 hits. Michael Lennox pitched the final inning giving up a run on 2 hits. He struck out 1. Eddie Lora went 2 for 3 with a home run and he scored 2 runs.

Player of the Night: Casey Kelly who tossed 7 scoreless 1 hit innings without giving up a walk. He had 4 strikeouts.

Clay tosses 5.2 scoreless innings in Drive win

6/27 Cup of Coffee: On Friday, Norfolk defeated Pawtucket 4-1. Kris Johnson went 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 10 hits. He struck out 3. Jose Vaquedano threw 1.2 frames giving up a run on 2 hits. Javier Lopez retired the final 2 batters but gave up a hit. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 5. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 3. Carlos Maldonado went 2 for 4.

Portland edged New Hampshire 5-4 in 12 innings. Ryne Lawson went 2 innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Andrew Dobies threw 3 scoreless, hitless innings. He gave up a walk whike fanning 2. Chris Province pitched 3 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Bryce Cox tossed 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2. TJ Large threw 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He allowed a walk and had a strikeout. Ryan Khoury went 2 for 3. Jorge Jimenez went 2 for 6 with 2 RBI. Reid Engel went 2 for 3 with a home run.

Salem blanked Kinston 7-0. Seth Garrison pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Ryne Miller tossed 2 scoreless frames giving up 2 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 4. Josh Papelbon pitched a scoreless 9th allowing a hit. He had a strikeout. Jason Place went 3 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Tim Federowicz in his first game in Advanced A went 3 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Zach Borowiak went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Greenville blanked Asheville 3-0. Nick Hagadone started and went 2.1 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Caleb Clay pitched 5.2 scoreless frames allowing 2 hits. He did not walk a hitter while striking out 3. Mitch Herold pitched the final inning and did not allow a run or a hit. He walked 2. Ryan Dent went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Kade Keowen went 2 for 4.

Tri-City edged Lowell 6-5. Cesar Cabral went 4.1 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Anatanaer Batista pitched 1.2 scoreless, hitless frames. He allowed a walk and had a strikeout. William Latimer threw 2 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 2. Derrik Gibson went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

The Gulf Coast League game between the Red Sox and the Twins was cancelled due to rain.

Player of the Night: Caleb Clay who threw 5.2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits. He did not walk a hitter while fanning 3.

Q&A with Ryan Pressly

The Red Sox selected right-handed pitcher Ryan Pressly in the eleventh round of the 2007 MLB Draft out of Marcus High School in Texas. Signing shortly after the draft, Pressly missed the entire 2007 season before making his debut in 2008 for the GCL Red Sox. In 10 games pitched, he compiled a 1-4 record with a 3.79 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. He battled a bout of shoulder tendonitis in spring training this year and was kept in extended spring training before being assigned to the Short Season A-ball Lowell Spinners. Jonathan Singer of SoxProspects.com had a chance to sit down with Ryan at a recent Spinners game.

Jonathan Singer: After being drafted in the eleventh round in 2007 and signing in mid-June 2007, was there a particular reason that you did not make your pro debut that year?

Ryan Pressly: During my senior year of high school baseball, I had an injury in which I tore my left ACL. I really didn’t do the proper rehab and I had to have another surgery. The second surgery was just a scope of the knee, and that is what kept me out that first season.

JS: What aspects of your game did the Red Sox have you work on from the time you signed until you debuted for the GCL Red Sox in 2008?

RP: The Red Sox really wanted to work on my control on the mound. That was first and foremost the important goal. They also wanted me to just build up my whole body because I was pretty skinny in high school - I was 155 pounds when I was drafted and now I am up to 185 pounds.

JS: Apart from the statistics, how would you say your debut went last season while pitching in the GCL?

RP: It wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad. I really didn’t have a lot of expectations going in, I just went out there and threw. The biggest thing that I need to do is limiting my walks because that is what killed me last year in the GCL. The Red Sox have stressed the importance of control on the mound, which will go a long way to limiting my walks.

JS: What's the biggest difference between facing premier high school competition in Texas vs. working through a GCL lineup?

RP: It’s pretty close in comparison. There is a lot talent that comes through Texas and it is like that in the GCL as well. Basically, no matter the talent level, you have to be able to compete at this stage, and that is something that I look to do each time that I'm out on that mound.

JS: You were invited to the Fall Instructional League this past offseason. Can you tell us a little about that experience?

RP: It was a good experience for me. I got to see and play with a lot of the top prospects in the organization. I got to pitch against guys like Casey Kelly and Mitch Dening, and if you make a mistake to them, they will capitalize on it. They know how to hit, and you just got to learn how to pitch and that’s the way it is. The Red Sox worked on my changeup and fastball command. They’re not too worried about my curveball right now.

JS: What are some of the goals that you have set for yourself coming into this season?

RP: Definitely to get out of Lowell, and I mean that in a good way. I already accomplished one goal when I got out of Fort Myers after almost 2 years. Right now I am here and I am just going to pitch my innings in order to get to the next level.

JS: Can you describe your repertoire on the mound?

RP: I throw a two-seam fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. I set up hitters with a fastball outside followed by a changeup outside, and then I try to run a curveball inside but sometimes that doesn’t always work the way you plan it. Basically, I just got to keep mixing my pitches up and keep batters guessing. Right now the curveball and the changeup are my best pitches. Surprisingly enough, I just need to work on my fastball command - I have to learn to command it to both sides of the plate.

JS: Which coach in the Sox system has influenced you the most? Which player has impressed you the most?

RP: For a coach I have to say [Latin Pitching Cordinator] Goose Gregson has really jumped my butt a couple of times, as he sees a lot of potential in me. For a player it’s definitely Casey Kelly. He’s 19 and already up in High-A ball. He’s been dealing pretty good.

Negron scores 4 runs in Salem win

6/26 Cup of Coffee: On Thursday, Pawtucket defeated Norfolk 7-4. Enrique Gonzalez went 5 innings giving up 4 runs on 10 hits and a walk. He struck out 4. Billy Traber threw 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits. He fanned 1. Randor Bierd pitched a clean inning with a strikeout. Fernando Cabrera also pitched a perfect inning to close the game. Jeff Natale went 2 for 5 and scored a run. Chris Carter went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Aaron Bates went 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Connecticut downed Portland 7-2. Kason Gabbard went 4 innings giving up 7 runs on 8 hits and 6 walks. Blake Maxwell threw 4 scoreless frames allowing 3 hits. He had a strikeout. Ryan Khoury went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI.

Salem trounced Kinston 12-0. Eammon Portice threw 6 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 6. Kyle Fernandes tossed 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He allowed a base on balls. Jason Rice threw a clean inning with a strikeout. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 3 RBI. Jason Place went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Mike Jones went 2 for 3 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Yamaico Navarro went 2 for 6 with 2 RBI. Kris Negron went 3 for 5 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Asheville edged Greenville 5-4. Stolmy Pimentel threw 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Felix Ventura went 2.1 frames allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. He fanned 3. Lance McClain retired the final 2 hitters while allowing 2 hits. He had a strikeout. Kade Keowen went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Oscar Tejeda went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. David Marks went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Tri-City edged Lowell 2-1 in 10 innings. Jose Alvarez pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits. He had 6 strikeouts. Tommy Hottovy threw 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit. He fanned 2. Pedro Perez went 1.1 frames and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits. He struck out 1. Derrik Gibson went 3 for 4. Ryan Westmoreland went 2 for 4 with a RBI. Sean Killeen went 2 for 3 and scored a run.

The Gulf Coast Rays blanked the Red Sox 2-0. Manuel Rivera threw 4 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 3. Kyle Stroup went 1.1 frames giving up a run on 2 hits and 2 walks. Justin Erasmus threw 2.2 innings giving up a run on 2 hits and a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Bryan Peterson went 2 for 4. Jose Garcia went 2 for 3.

Player of the Night: Kris Negron who went 3 for 5 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI

Brown returned to Pawtucket as Smoltz returns to major leagues

As expected, with the return of John Smoltz to the major leagues comes the end of Dusty Brown's first stint with Boston. Brown, who was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket when Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the disabled list on June 21, appeared in 1 game for Boston as a defensive replacement and caught 1.0 inning. The 27-year-old righthanded batter had been hitting .239/.347/.331 with 2 home runs and 12 RBI in 163 at-bats for Pawtucket at the time of his major league summons. A thirty-fifth-round draft choice by Boston in 2000, Brown owns career .260/.343/.390 numbers with 40 home runs and 287 RBI in 2039 minor league at-bats spanning 9 seasons.

Kelly and Tazawa selected for Futures Game

It's been a banner year so far in 2009 for two Red Sox pitching prospects, and now they've earned some official recognition for their efforts. The Red Sox today announced that righthanded pitchers Casey Kelly and Junichi Tazawa have been selected to participate in the eleventh annual Futures Game. The Futures Game, which pits the best minor leaguers across all levels from the United States against their counterparts from the rest of the world, is set to take place on Sunday, July 12 in St. Louis before the MLB All-Star Game.

Kelly was a first-round selection by the Red Sox in the 2008 draft and is the fourth ranked prospect in the organization according to SoxProspects.com. He has gone a combined 7-3 with a 1.64 ERA so far this season for Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem. In 77.0 innings spanning 14 starts, the 19-year-old Kelly has struck out 63 and walked only 12, limiting opposing hitters to a .186 batting average. Tazawa, who was signed as an international free agent in December, has been equally impressive for Double-A Portland, going 7-4 with a 2.92 ERA in his first 14 starts. He has also thrown 77.0 innings so far this season and has struck out 71 and walked 25 in that span, yielding a .225 batting average against.

Kelly and Tazawa will endeavor to replicate the Futures Game success had by Che-Hsuan Lin, who captured MVP honors at last year's game by going 2 for 2 with a home run.

The Ladder- 6.25.09

Che-Hsuan Lin

The Line: After starting out on the season 8 for 59 with 19 strikeouts and only 5 walks, Lin has turned things around at the plate, posting a .276/.385/.387 line since his extremely slow start. Lin’s been able to work counts much better since April and has turned his trends around, walking 29 times and only striking out 21 times during the months of May and June. He’s been especially hot over his last 10 games, going 12 for 37 with 2 home runs, 11 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases in the stretch. Lin turned in his finest performance of the season on June 19 against Potomac, reaching base 6 times via 3 hits and 3 walks while belting 2 home runs and driving in 4 runs in the game. After posting a .378 OPS in the month of April, Lin has pushed his season mark up to .674 with his 2 month turnaround, while his 14 stolen bases and 34 walks on the season rank him within the Top 10 in the Carolina League.

The View: Lin was all out of whack to begin the season, and some of his struggles can be attributed to the fact that he was coming back from injury in April. The key to his turnaround has been his improvement in his patience and increase in contact rates along with an improvement in his balance at the plate. Lin hits with a timing step at the plate, and a lot of his balance issues come from this portion of his load getting too big or causing him to lunge at balls. Despite having some experience playing International baseball, Lin’s pitch recognition was on the raw side when he arrived in the United States, and he struggled with chasing breaking balls out of the strike zone early in his career. With increased experience, he’s improved on this aspect of his game and the moving trends of his strikeouts to walks are a key indication of the positive development he has made. Lin has always been defensively polished and gets excellent reads on balls, highlighted by his elite range and plus plus arm in centerfield. One scout who recently saw Lin came away extremely impressed with his arm and said it was not only the best outfield arm within the Red Sox system, but also one of the best arms he has seen in the minors to date. The key going forward for Lin will be to continue to keep himself together mechanically at the plate, as his batting eye will allow him to continue to drive balls like he has for the last 2 months. An improving hitter, he’s made some nice strides this season despite a difficult April and has started to show flashes of his potential as a major league top-of-the-order hitter.

Stolmy Pimentel

The Line: Pimentel has put together a solid first half in his first season of full-season baseball, logging 58 1/3 innings while giving up 68 hits and striking out 50 against 15 walks. The number of hits against him in the early going was a bit concerning, but that has trended down each month, with his batting average against dropping from .338 in April to .227 in June. His strikeouts have also been on the rise. Pimentel has demonstrated good control the entire season and has generally been around the strike zone in all of his outings. He has been especially strong in his last 4 outings, firing 21 1/3 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 17 hits and striking out 24 batters against only 5 free passes. He posted his strikeout high in an outing on June 12 against Asheville with 7 and followed that up 5 days later against the same lineup with 6 strikeouts over 5 innings of work.

The View: Pimentel has flown under the radar this season, which is a testament to the strength of the Red Sox organization’s young arms. After more than holding his own in the NYPL last season, he’s picked up where he left off and has been strong as a 19 year old in the SAL. Pimentel’s strengths are his above-average change-up and 12/6 curveball. Both of these pitches generate a lot of swings and misses while fooling batters and keeping them off-balance. The deception that he creates with his change-up makes it very tough on hitters and the sharp, improving break of his curve cause batters to go fishing outside of the zone. His low 90’s fastball is behind these pitches, though, but the key to his success this season has been the improvement in his command of this pitch. Pimentel can’t afford to live up in the zone with his fastball right now, and the majority of the hard contact against him occurs when this pitch grabs the fat part of the plate. As the season has progressed, he’s been able to keep this pitch down, and the drop in the number of hits against him (along with having only given up 1 home run on the season) demonstrates how he’s been moving his fastball around the strike zone. As he fills out, some believe that he’ll add velocity to his fastball given his arm speed and arm action, so this bears watching as his career progresses. Pimentel will look to keep things going as the second half of the season begins and if the trends of the month of June continue, followers can expect him to push his development to the next step.

Trending Up

Will Middlebrooks has found his stride in June, posting a .946 OPS so far this month. After struggling with strikeouts to start the season, he has been cutting down on them and producing a lot more solid contact. The biggest need for Middlebrooks has been to improve his raw pitch recognition and patience at the plate. These look to be taking a step forward, as he’s been much more patient this season and has drawn 20 walks in 141 total at-bats after only walking 12 times in 209 at-bats with Lowell last season. Middlebrooks has flashed some of the power that he is projected to develop down the line in the month of June, cracking 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs, good for a .549 slugging percentage…Mike Lee has been off to a good start after packing up from Florida and heading to Greenville. The 6’7’’ right-hander has struck out 20 batters in 19 innings of work, and despite a rough outing in his last appearance, has given up only 6 earned runs in that stretch. Lee’s been using his fastball, which can get up to 95 MPH, to overpower hitters and has been generating some chase swings with his 9-3 curveball…Salem’s Ryne Miller picked up 5 strikeouts in 2 innings during the recently played Carolina League All-Star Game. The hard-throwing reliever has fanned 51 batters in 45 innings this season, including 24 over his last 20 2/3 innings pitched…Sally League All-Stars David Mailman, Anthony Rizzo, and Tim Federowicz all were recently promoted to Salem and are set to begin the second half in the Carolina League after finishing up strong with Greenville.

Trending Down

After a tough run in Greenville, Michael Almanzar has been assigned to the Lowell Spinners. Almanzar has looked off-balanced at the plate for much of the season and needs some work keeping his balance. Still only 18 years of age, he’s been showing his inexperience, along with just how raw his skills still are, both at the plate and in the field. Almanzar’s swing is mostly on the long side and he doesn’t get his hands through the hitting zone quick enough at the moment to consistently square up the advanced pitching he has been seeing and will continue to see with Lowell…Michael Bowden has hit a rough patch in June and has given up 6 earned runs in 2 of his last 5 starts, including a 1 inning clunker against Durham on June 19. Bowden has given up 28 hits over his last 24 innings along with 16 earned runs after only giving up 29 hits and 11 earned runs in his first 48 2/3 innings on the season…After hitting 19 home runs in 484 at-bats last season, Jason Place has only hit 2 home runs in 241 at-bats this season. Place has been more selective and chased fewer off-speed pitches at the plate, but his drop in power has jumped out this year and is of some concern. It remains to be seen how his power will be ultimately affected by his work on his approach.

Mendez has strong start in Gulf Coast opener

6/25 Cup of Coffee: Action on Wednesday saw Norfolk defeat Pawtucket 4-2. Michael Bowden threw 6 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and a walk. He had 6 strikeouts. Rocky Cherry tossed 1.2 frames giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. He had 2 strikeouts. Javier Lopez got the last out but not before giving up a run on 2 hits. He fanned 1. The offense produced 6 hits spread out among 6 different players.

Connecticut edged Portland 3-2 in 13 innings. Jarod Plummer pitched 6 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 8. Dustin Richardson threw 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. TJ Large pitched 2 innings giving up s run on a hit. He fanned 1. Chad Rhoades threw 2.1 frames giving up a run on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 2. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 5 with a run scored. Argenis Diaz went 2 for 6.

Oneonta blanked Lowell 3-0. Yeiper Castillo went 5 innings giving up a run on a hit and 3 walks. He fanned 6. Chad Povich threw an inning allowing a run on a hit and 2 walks. He had a strikeout. Jeremiah Bayer pitched a scoreless inning allowing a hit. He had a strikeout. Dennis Neuman tossed the final 2 frames giving up a run. He did not allow a hit but gave up a walk. He struck out 4. The Spinners managed just 3 hits in the game.

In their Gulf Coast League opener, the Red Sox edged the Reds 6-5. Roman Mendez went 5 innings giving up a run on 2 hits. He fanned 5. Pete Ruiz threw 2 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 3. Charlie Rosario pitched 2 scoreless innings giving up 1 hit. He had 4 strikeouts. Ivan Ochoa went 2 for 3. Seth Schwindenhammer went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Ken Roque went 2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI.

Player of the Night: Roman Mendez who allowed 1 run on 2 hits over 5 innings of work. He did not allow a walk and had 5 strikeouts.

Kehrt tosses 5 scoreless innings in Spinner win

6/24 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket edged Norfolk 6-5 in 10 innings. Charlie Zink threw 6 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He had a strikeout. Marcus McBeth went 1.1 frames giving up 2 runs on a hit and a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Jose Vaquedano threw 0.2 of an inning allowing a hit and a walk. Hunter Jones pitched a scoreless inning giving up a hit and a walk. He fanned 1. Fernando Cabrera threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit. He struck out the side. Angel Chavez went 2 for 3 with a RBI. Chris Carter went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI. John Otness went 2 for 3 and scored 2 runs.

Portland scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th inning to stage a come from behind 8-5 win over Connecticut. Felix Doubront tossed 3.1 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks. He had 4 strikeouts. Chris Province pitched 2.1 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits. Andrew Dobies went 2.1 innings allowing arun on 3 hits. He fanned 1. Bryce Cox pitched a scoreless 9th giving up 1 hit. He had a strikeout. Josh Reddick went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Jon Still's only hit in 5 at bats was a 3 runs homer in the 9th that provided the margin of victory. Mark Wagner went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Lars Anderson went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Argenis Diaz went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs.

Lowell edged Oneonta 2-1. Jeremy Kehrt threw 5 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits. He did not allow a walk and had 6 strikeouts. Michael Bugary pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings giving up 2 base on balls. He fanned 3. Anatanaer Batista went the final 2 innings allowing a run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He had a strikeout. Yamaico Navarro went 3 for 4.

Player of the Night: Jeremy Kehrt who threw 5 scoreless innings in Spinner win

Pitcher of the Week, June 15-21: Casey Kelly

Salem righty Casey Kelly continued to impress last week, pitching 12 innings of 5 hit ball, allowing a single earned run while striking out 10 and walking only two over two starts en route to winning SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week honors for June 15-21. Against Kinston (Indians) June 15, Kelly allowed his only run on 4 hits, and struck out 5, earning the win, and pitched 6 shutout innings of 1 hit ball June 21 at Potomac (Nationals), striking out 5, but didn't factor in the decision. With Salem, Kelly is 1-2 with a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 innings over five starts, striking out 24 while walking only 3 and holding opposing batters to a .192 average. Kelly, who previously won SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week of June 1-7, is currently the fourth ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Player of the Week, June 15-21: Tim Federowicz

Greenville catcher Tim Federowicz dominated last week at the plate and in the polls, batting .529/.600/.882 in 17 at-bats (9 hits) over five games with 1 home run and 3 doubles, scoring 6 runs while batting in four and taking SoxProspects.com Player of the Week honors for June 15-21 with 88.7 percent of votes cast. He was also named South Atlantic League Player of the Week. In fifty-five games with Greenville, Federowicz is hitting .345/.393/.562 with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and 34 RBI, earning a promotion to Advanced-A Salem. He is currently the thirteenth ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Q&A with Shannon Wilkerson

Outfielder Shannon Wilkerson was named the Division II Player of the Year by the NCBWA and ABCA this spring after his junior season at Augusta State. The speedy Wilkerson led the Peach Belt Conference with a .441 batting average, .891 slugging percentage, 82 runs scored, 101 hits, 24 home runs, and 7 triples this year, and he was also named to the Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove team after going errorless in 146 chances. SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield was able to chat with Wilkerson, the Red Sox’s eighth-round pick in this month’s First-Year Player Draft, at Lowell Spinners Media Day last week.

Chris Hatfield: At Augusta State, you were the Division II Player of the Year. When you decided to attend a Division II school, was playing at the professional level on your radar?

Shannon Wilkerson: Oh yeah. From day one my coaches would tell me, “you’ve got a real good chance to make it to the next level. Don’t look at it like because you’re a D-II guy, you can’t make it.” My coach told me at the end of this year I had a chance to be one of the highest-drafted guys out of that college, and I was – the top guy was a twelfth-rounder, and by going in the eighth I set the new standard.

CH: Was going that high [in the draft] a goal for you?

SW: Yeah, our range was around four[th] to eight[th round], and I got a call from the Red Sox about ten picks away from their eighth-round selection. It was exciting.

CH: Being from Georgia originally, how familiar are you with the Red Sox organization?

SW: It’s very, very new to me. We flew in last night (June 16), and the first thing I noticed is the fans. Being at Fenway and being at Turner Field are completely different. I mean, it was a packed house last night, and the fans, they’ve got your back 100 percent.

CH: So you grew up a Braves fan then?

SW: Oh yeah, I was a big Braves fan, and actually, that’s where I thought I’d be going. But since the Red Sox picked me up, all I’ve heard was that the fan base was just so behind the team in the Boston area.

CH: The Lowell team is always kind of a mish-mash of college players, high-school guys who’ve been in Extended Spring Training, some players from Latin America and even from Asia this year. Although it’s very early on, how has the assimilation process been?

SW: Well, like I said, I’ve only been here probably 12 hours, so I’ve met about five guys. But what’s unique about it is the many different cultures. Like I said, I really haven’t made my rounds going to meet people, so I only know a handful of guys right now, but it’ll be interesting adjusting to playing with that many different types of players.

CH: We ask this in all of our interviews – give us a self-scouting report on Shannon Wilkerson.

SW: I’d say give me the inside fastball at the plate. (Laughs). As far as my speed, that’d be my biggest aspect of the game. I play the game 100-percent everywhere I go – I try to turn singles into doubles. In the outfield, like I said, my biggest strength is with my speed.

CH: So you see yourself as a table-setter?

SW: Oh yeah, definitely. I’ll steal some bags.

CH: Getting back to the draft, you mentioned the Braves and you were picked by the Red Sox, were there any other teams you were talking to?

SW: Well I filled out forms for about every club, but the White Sox, Reds, Phillies, and Braves, those four were all on top of me pretty hard. And then towards the end of the season I got a few calls from the Red Sox. And then I got to know my area scout from the Red Sox very well – he actually lives 20 minutes from my hometown. We got talking more and more and he wanted to know what my projections were as far as going in the draft, and I let him know. The eighth round came around and he gave me a phone call.

CH: You were named the D-II Player of the Year by two different organizations, what was it like being named the best in the country at that level?

SW: I mean, it really didn’t soak in I guess. I still hadn’t been drafted at the time, but now I’ve gotten my dream. That was in its own category until I got drafted, but it really doesn’t mean that much to me anymore. Being a professional athlete is something I’ve always dreamed of. It’s always good to look back on, being the player of the year in Division II nationally, but this right here is the biggest thing.

CH: For this season, what goals do you have?

SW: My goal right now is to make the all-star team. I’d like to do that. I’ve had a bit of a setback – I probably won’t play the first week or two, because we’re waiting on some physical tests I took yesterday to come back. But I just want to get out there and play every day, get better as a ballplayer, and just adjust to the professional atmosphere. You’ve got to learn to accept failure – three-for-ten is hall-of-fame numbers.

Hottovy throws 2 perfect innings in Lowell loss

6/23 Cup of Coffee: Action on Monday was limited to just two teams with Durham downing Pawtucket 3-1. Clay Buchholz started and went 3.2 innings giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 5 walks. He struck out 4. Randor Bierd threw 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks. Javier Lopez pitched 1.1 scoreless frames giving up 1 hit. He fanned 1. Billy Traber tossed a clean inning. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 4.

In the only other contest, Oneonta defeated Lowell 4-1 scoring 3 runs in the top of the 12th inning. Ryan Pressly pitched 5 innings allowing 1 run on 7 hits. He did not allow a walk and had 5 strikeouts. Tommy Hottovy threw 2 perfect innings of relief fanning 3. Jeremiah Bayer tossed a clean inning recording a strikeout. William Latimer pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He fanned 3. Wang-Yi Lin threw 2 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits. He struck out 2. Wilfred Pichardo went 2 for 4. Chia-Chu Chen went 2 for 5 with a RBI.

Player of the Night: Tommy Hottovy who continued his rehab in Lowell throwing 2 perfect innings of relief

Rizzo, Federowicz, and Mailman promoted to Salem

As confirmed by the Red Sox front office, Greenville hitters Anthony Rizzo, Tim Federowicz, and David Mailman will all be promoted to Advanced-A Salem after the South Atlantic League and Carolina League All Star breaks this week. Play resumes for both leagues on Thursday, June 25. Each of Rizzo, Federowicz, and Mailman will participate in the South Atlantic League All Star game on Tuesday in Charleston, West Virginia, then will make their way over to Kinston, North Carolina to join the Salem Sox on a road trip to kick off the second half of the Carolina League schedule against the Kinston Indians. To counter these promotions, Salem's Jon Hee, Ty Weeden, and Jered Stanley will be sent down to Greenville.

Salem pitchers toss a 1 hitter but lose game one

6/22 Cup of Coffee: Action on Sunday saw Pawtucket down Durham 5-3. Kris Johnson threw 5.1 innings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 3. Jose Vaquedano went 1.2 scoreless frames allowing a hit and a walk. He fanned 1. Billy Traber pitched a scoreless inning allowing 2 hits and a walk. Fernando Cabrera tossed a scoreless inning allowing a hit. He had a strikeout. Angel Chavez went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Freddy Guzman went 3 for 5 and scored a run.

Akron blanked Portland 4-0. Adam Mills threw 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 9 hits. He fanned 4. Chad Rhoades threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit. He struck out 2. Dustin Richardson pitched an inning giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. TJ Large tossed 2 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. The Sea Dogs managed just 2 hits in the game.

Salem split a doubleheader with Potomac. They lost the first contest 1-0 despite allowing the Nationals just 1 hit. Casey Kelly pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit and 2 walks. He struck out 5. Ryne Miller pitched a clean inning recording a strikeout. Derrick Loop threw a clean inning fanning all 3 hitters he faced. Robert Coello retired 2 hitters but walked 4 batters to allow the winning run to score. He had a strikeout. The Drive took the second contest 3-1. Kyle Weiland threw 5 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits and 6 base on balls. He had 4 strikeouts. The Salem offense had 5 hits spread out amongst 5 different players.

Lexington defeated Greenville 4-2. Stephen Fife threw 5 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits. He had 7 strikeouts. Michael Lee pitched 3.1 frames giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6. Leandro Marin tossed 0.2 of an inning allowing a walk. He fanned 2. David Marks went 2 for 3 with a home run and 2 RBI.

Vermont downed Lowell 5-2. Cesar Cabral threw 4 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Pedro Perez tossed 4 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits. He struck out 1. Dennis Neuman pitched an inning giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk. He fanned 1. Wilfred Pichardo went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Casey Kelly who tossed 6 scoreless, 1 hit innings in a no decision result

Matsuzaka to DL, Dusty Brown called up

Prior to today's game against the Atlanta Braves, Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the disabled list with weakness in his right shoulder, and catcher Dusty Brown was called up from Pawtucket in a corresponding move. Before the game Terry Francona said that no structural damage was revealed in yesterday's MRI, but that Matsuzaka's road to return would likely be a long one. The longest Brown is expected to remain with the big league club is Thursday when John Smoltz is slated to be activated and start at Washington. Through 47 games with Pawtucket, Brown was is hitting .239/.347/.331 with 2 home runs, 9 doubles and 12 RBI in 163 at-bats.

Sox linked to Vinicio, Payano

According to Jorge Arangure, Senior Writer for ESPN the Magazine, the Red Sox will sign Dominican shortstop Jose Gregorio Vinicio to a $2-million bonus and Dominican lefthander Victor Payano to a $900,000 bonus in early July. The international signing period begins on July 2, and word is that Payano will sign on July 2, while Vinicio will sign on July 10 when he turns sixteen and becomes eligible to sign a professional contract. Vinicio is a much-heralded international prospect with highly regarded athleticism and power potential. He's drawn comparisons to Edgar Renteria. Payano is a tall, lanky lefty with a projectable frame and a clean delivery. He presently throws his fastball at 85-88 mph with nice downward movement, and also mixes in a slider and a changeup. All three have the potential to be above average major league pitches when Payano fills out his frame.

Rizzo scores 3 runs and drives in 3 in Drive win

6/21 Cup of Coffee: On Saturday, Pawtucket edged Durham 4-3. Enrique Gonzalez went 5.1 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 8. Javier Lopez threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit and a walk. He had a strikeout. Hunter Jones pitched 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Travis Denker went 2 for 2 with a RBI.

Akron swept both games of a doubleheader over Portland. The Areros took the first game 1-0 scoring the winning run in the top of the 9th. Junichi Tazawa went 5.1 scoreless frames allowing 2 hits and 4 walks. He had 5 strikeouts. Andrew Dobies pitched 1.2 scoreless, hitless innings. He fanned 2. Bryce Cox threw 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. The Sea Dogs had 7 hits spread out among 7 different players. Akron trounced the Sea Dogs 8-1 in the second contest. Ryne Lawson went 4.1 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. He had 2 strikeouts. Chris Province went 1.2 frames and did not allow a run. He gave up a hit and had a strikeout. Richie Lentz threw 0.2 of an inning giving up 5 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Chad Rhoades struck out the only hitter he faced. Jorge Jimenez went 1 for 3 with a home run.

The scheduled doubleheader between Salem and Potomac was cancelled due to rain.

Greenville hammered Lexington 15-3, and in doing so clinched the South Atlantic League championship for the first half of the season. Hunter Strickland went 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He fanned 5. Fabian Williamson threw 4 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits and a walk. He had 5 strikeouts. David Mailman went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Mitch Dening went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Will Middlebrooks went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI. Ryan Dent went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Tim Federowicz had a home run in 3 at bats.

Lowell edged Vermont 4-3. Jose Alvarez pitched 6 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits. He struck out 7. Anatanaer Batista threw 2 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. He fanned 2. William Latimer pitched a clean 9th inning. The Spinners had 7 hits spread out among 7 different players.

Player of the Night: Anthony Rizzo who had 3 hits which produced 3 runs scored and 3 RBI

Lin reached base 6 times in Salem win

6/20 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket scored 5 runs in the top of the 8th inning to stage a come from behind 8-6 win over Durham. Michael Bowden got the start and lasted only 1 inning giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 1. Marcus McBeth tossed 3 scoreless, hitless innings allowing 1 walk. He had 5 strikeouts. Rocky Cherry threw 2 scoreless frames allowing 3 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Randor Bierd pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He fanned 4. Fernando Cabrera pitched a scoreless inning giving up 2 hits and a walk. Aaron Bates went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs. Paul McAnulty went 3 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Angel Chavez went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs.

The Portland-Akron game was postponed.

Salem trounced Potomac 12-4. Bryan Price went 3.2 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 6. Kyle Fernandes pitched 2.1 scoreless innings. He allowed 2 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Jason Rice threw 2 perfect innings of relief recording 3 strikeouts. Josh Papelbon pitched a scoreless, hitless inning allowing a walk. He struck out the side. Che-Hsuan Lin went 3 for 3 with 2 homers, 4 runs scored and 4 RBI. He also walked 3 times. Mike Jones went 3 for 6 with 3 RBI.

Greenville defeated Lexington 5-1. Brock Huntzinger threw 5.2 innings giving up 1 run on 8 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Armando Zerpa threw 2.1 scoreless frames giving up a hit and a walk. He had 4 strikeouts. Lance McClain pitched a scoreless 9th allowing a hit. He fanned 1. Tim Federowicz raised his batting average to .345 going 3 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Lowell kicked off their schedule with a 10-6 win over Vermont. Yeiper Castillo threw 4 innings allowing 6 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Jeremy Kehrt pitched 2 clean innings striking out 3. Tommy Hottovy tossed 2 scoreless, hitless frames giving up 2 walks. He struck out 5. Dennis Neuman pitched a scoreless 9th inning giving up a hit. He fanned 2. Derrick Gibson went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Roberto Feliz went 2 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Ronald Bermudez went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Che-Hsuan Lin who reached base 6 times going 3 for 3 with 3 walks. He had 2 homers, scored 4 times and drove in 4 runs.

Hazelbaker agrees to terms

According to sources, 2009 fourth round draft pick Jeremy Hazelbaker has agreed to terms with the Red Sox and is on his way to Boston to finalize the deal. Hazelbaker, 21, is likely to be assigned to Lowell to play centerfield for the Spinners. He played for Ball State this spring, putting up a .429/.550/,724 line with 9 home runs and 29 stolen bases. Hazelbaker was ranked as the 107th best prospect in the 2009 draft by Baseball America and 144th by PG Crosschecker.

PawSox victims of rain-shortened perfect game

6/19 Cup of Coffee: Weather played havoc with games on Thursday, with half of the games being rained out and another was shortened.

Pawtucket saw their game shortened to 5 1/2 innings after Charlotte pitcher Carlos Torres retired all 15 hitters he faced in a 5-0 win for the Knights. Charlie Zink went the distance and took the loss. He allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks. He had a strikeout.

Erie defeated Portland 5-1. Kason Gabbard threw 3 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. He had 5 strikeouts. Blake Maxwell pitched 3 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits amd a walk. Dustin Richardson threw a scoreless inning allowing 3 walks. He struck out 2. TJ Large pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He had a strikeout. Ryan Kalish went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

The Salem-Potomac game as well as the Greenville-Asheville match-up were both rained out.

Player of the Night: Ryan Kalish, who went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Smoltz makes last rehab start in PawSox win

6/18 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket downed Charlotte 9-3 on Wednesday. John Smoltz made his last start in the minors going 4 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Clay Buchholz took over and threw 4 innings giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. He had 6 strikeouts. Billy Traber threw a clean 9th inning recording 1 strikeout. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs. Bubba Bell went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Aaron Bates went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Paul McAnulty went 3 for 5 with a RBI. Dusty Brown went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Travis Denker went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Angel Chavez went 3 for 4 and scored 2 runs.

Erie defeated Portland 11-5. Jarod Plummer threw 4 innings allowing 4 runs only 1 of which was earned. He allowed a walk and recorded 4 strikeouts. Andrew Dobies pitched 1.2 innings giving up 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 4. Richie Lentz did not retire a hitter but gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks. Chad Rhoades tossed 2.1 clean frames with 3 strikeouts. TJ Large threw 1 scoreless, hitless inning giving up a walk. He fanned 2. Josh Reddick went 3 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Ryan Kalish went 3 for 4 and is now hitting .215. Reid Engel went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs.

Salem outscored Kinston 12-10. Eammon Portice tossed 4.1 innings allowing 6 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. He had 5 strikeouts. Robert Coello went 1.2 frames giving up 1 run on 1 hit and 2 walks. He had a strikeout. Jose Capellan pitched 2 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Derrick Loop threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Zach Borowiak went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. Daniel Nava went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs. Mike Jones went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Jered Stanley went 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a RBI.

Greenville defeated Asheville 5-1 in a rain shortened 6 inning game. Stolmy Pimentel pitched 6 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6. David Mailman went 2 for 3 with a home run and 3 RBI.

Player of the Night: Stolmy Pimentel who allowed 1 run over 6 innings of work in the Drive's win. He had 6 strikeouts.

Player of the Week, June 8-14: Aaron Bates

In his first week with Pawtucket Aaron Bates picked right up where he left off in Portland, posting a .400/.520/.750 line with two home runs and two doubles, scoring 7 runs and batting in 4, while drawing 5 walks (vs. four strikeouts) over 25 plate appearances, earning himself SoxProspects.com Player of the Week honors for June 8-14. Prior to his promotion June 8, Bates hit .340/.405/.505 in 208 at-bats (70 hits) over 52 games as a Sea Dog, with 7 home runs, 13 doubles and 39 runs batted in. He is currently the twenty-second ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Pitcher of the Week, June 8-14: Kyle Weiland

In two starts last week Salem righty Kyle Weiland turned in a pair of quality starts, allowing 2 runs (one earned) on 7 hits, striking out 5 all while getting hung with a loss and a no-decision, but was rewarded by the community for his efforts by being named SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week of June 8-14. Although he pitched six scoreless innings at Wilmington (Royals) June 8 allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out three, Weliand took the loss, but bounced back to pitch six more innings of five hit ball and allowing his only earned run if the week to Myrtle Beach (Braves), striking out 2 while walking one and not factoring in the decision. On the season Weiland owns a 1-6 record with a 5.10 ERA in 60 innings over 13 starts, allowing 34 earned runs on 62 hits, striking out 46 and walking 25. However in the month of June he is 0-1 but with a 0.53 ERA, allowing 1 earned run on 9 hits over 17 innings. He is currently the twenty-seventh ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

The Ladder- 6.17.09

Hunter Strickland

The Line: Pitching for Class-A Greenville, Strickland has been on a roll as of late, and overall he has put up a solid campaign in his first year of full-season baseball. Covering his last 25 2/3 innings, he’s given up 2 earned runs while striking out 18 batters and only issuing 2 free passes. Strickland has also been going deeper into games as the season has progressed, pitching into the sixth inning in 5 of his last 6 starts, and the one exception was in a piggy-back role to close out the final 4 innings of that game. On June 4, Strickland fired 5 2/3 innings against Asheville giving up 1 earned run and picking up 5 strikeouts. He followed that up with back-to-back strong outings against Bowling Green, giving up 1 earned run over 11 innings pitched. Strickland has given up about a hit per inning on the season, but has only walked 6 batters in 58 1/3 innings, placing him in the top 10 in the South Atlantic League in WHIP.

The View: Strickland put in a lot of work last season in Lowell to improve his control and command with his fastball, and this season the improvement has continued. Working in the low 90’s with his fastball, he’s been pounding the zone to throw strikes and his velocity has been creeping up a bit. Although he has given up a lot of contact, Strickland limits the damage against him by making batters earn their way on base and by keeping the ball in the park. Mixing in his slider and change-up, Strickland has done a good job of throwing strikes this season and keeping hitters off balance. He could stand to get some more swings and misses with his repertoire by sharpening his slider and improving the deception of his change-up, but the work he has done on his command has been a good step forward. Interestingly, Strickland has struggled to put away left-handed batters via the strikeout, having recorded only 5 on the season. This points toward the need to improve his secondary pitches, as they lack the necessary inward bite to get lefties to chase them out of the zone. With a smooth and balanced delivery, Strickland has the foundation to pick up some velocity on his fastball and consistently repeat his mechanics as he gains the feel of his secondary pitches. Strickland may lack a little bit of the flash of some of his peers, but his developmental strides have continued after a solid first season of professional baseball in 2008.

Kyle Weiland

The Line: Weiland got off to a tough start with the Salem Red Sox and got knocked around in the month of April, giving up 16 earned runs in 12 innings on 22 hits. Known for his command, he struggled to find his feel and walked 9 batters in that stretch. Since April, however, it has been a different story for Weiland, as he has given up 18 earned runs in 48 innings while surrendering only 40 hits. His last 17 innings have been especially strong, limiting batters to 9 hits and only 1 earned run against. Weiland dealt 6 strong innings on June 8 against Wilmington and followed that up in his next start with another 6 solid innings against Myrtle Beach on June 14, giving up 1 earned run and limiting batters to 5 hits. Despite his struggles in the early going this season, he’s limited right-handed batters to a .195 batting average against and has compiled a 58% groundball rate against them on the season.

The View: Weiland’s command was erratic in April and he lived up in the zone far too often, giving up a lot of hits on balls up and out over the plate. He worked behind in the count too frequently and when he came into the zone with his fastball, batters were sitting all over it. Despite his fastball operating 92-94 MPH, it is a far better offering when he starts it lower in the zone as it darts across the knees with a nice downward slant created as Weiland gets his hand on top it. As the season has moved on, he’s generated more groundballs by continuing to sink his fastball and staying out of the top of the strike zone. Weiland has the ability to throw his fastball by batters, but his secondary pitches are not consistent enough to enable him to rely on them when he is behind in the count and needs to throw a strike. He can be nasty and uncomfortable on righties, as he comes from a ¾ angle and his 2-seam fastball can run on their hands, but lefties have had a lot of success against him this season. This highlights the need to sharpen the consistency of his curveball, as lefties get a good look at the ball coming out of his delivery and he needs something to keep them off-balance. The development of his change-up will answer the question as to where he projects down the line, but Weiland has shown the stamina to keep his stuff deeper into his outings and made a smooth transition from the bullpen into the starting rotation to start his professional career.

Trending Up

Casey Kelly continues his strong first professional season on the mound. Since being promoted to the Salem Red Sox, he’s struck out 19 and walked only 1 batter in 22 2/3 innings. Kelly fired 6 innings against Kinston on June 15, limiting the lineup to 4 hits and picking up 5 strikeouts while not issuing a walk. Scouts who have followed Kelly this season have continued to be impressed with how he handles himself on the mound. One scout who recently observed him came away very impressed with his feel for his repertoire and his upside on the mound. Kelly has mainly been operating 88-91 with his fastball, showing some sink and tail to it, but the pitch can sometimes be a little straight. His curveball has shown excellent bite while he can mix up the way it breaks. Kelly has a nice feel for his change-up too, with this pitch showing some fade that moves inward on right-handed batters…Lars Anderson has found June more to his liking after a tough May and is looking more locked in at the plate. He’s 16 for his last 35 with only 6 strikeouts in that stretch after struggling with making contact in May. Anderson has been staying back on breaking balls much better recently and looks to be taking off as the season ramps into the summer months…Fabian Williamson has 39 strikeouts in his last 31 2/3 innings and only given up 7 earned runs in that streak. Walks have been a bit of a concern for Williamson, but he has limited contact with only 16 hits against in that stretch, and he has generally kept the ball down. His sharp-breaking curveball is an advanced offering for him and creates a lot of swings and misses to go along with a high 80’s fastball that is deceptively quick on hitters…Bubba Bell was recently promoted to Pawtucket, following Aaron Bates, who was also recently promoted from Portland.

Trending Down

After not finding much work at Salem and getting hit around a bit, Jose Alvarez has been sent down to Lowell where he will open on the Spinners’ roster when the short-season NYPL gets underway on June 19. Alvarez has only pitched 24 2/3 innings on the season and hasn’t appeared in a game since June 2…Yeiper Castillo also finds himself back with the Spinners after struggling with Greenville where he gave up 24 earned runs 30 2/3 innings on the season. Castillo has been struggling with his control and been forced to throw his fastball in the middle of the plate as he has worked behind in a lot of counts…Ryne Lawson has had a tough run of things recently with Portland and has given up 6 or more earned runs in 3 of his last 4 starts, making it into the sixth inning only once. Lawson’s stuff has looked like it plays better in a bullpen role in the higher levels…Argenis Diaz is 7 for his last 34 and hasn’t been able to put it together consistently at the plate for any extended stretch. Diaz has good enough batspeed and reactions to hit good fastballs, but he has struggled with making contact on off-speed pitches and with laying off ones out of the strikezone…Bryan Price has had a tough adjustment to advanced A-Ball and given up 17 earned runs in his first 15 1/3 innings with Salem. Price has walked 8 batters in that stretch after walking only 12 in 44 innings with Greenville. He’s been grabbing too much of the plate with his fastball and has not been locating it since his promotion.

Mills tosses six innings of one hit ball

6/17 Cup of Coffee: Today, I am writing the Cup f Coffee from the most scenic place this blog has ever been written. I am overlooking sunrise on the Bras D'Or Lakes in Cape Breton. Wow!

Pawtucket split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Tuesday. They lost the first game 1-0 in extra innings. Kris Johnson started and went 4.1 innings. He did not allow a run on 2 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 5. Randor Bierd went 2.2 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits. Hunter Jones pitched 1 inning and gave up the winning run on 2 hits. The offense produced only 3 hits in the game. The PawSox rebounded and took the second contest 3-2. Rocky Cherry tossed 2 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 1. Jose Vaquedano threw 3 scoreless, hitless innings. He fanned 2. Fernando Cabrera pitched 2 scoreless frames allowing 2 hits. He struck out 1.

Portland blanked Erie 5-0. Adam Mills pitched 6 scoreless, 1 hit innings. He did not allow a walk while fanning 8. Chris Province tossed 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 1. Bryce Cox threw a scoreless inning allowing 1 hit. Mark Wagner went 2 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI. Jorge Jimenez went 2 for 4 with a home run 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Lars Anderson went 3 for 4. Ryan Khoury went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and a RBI.

Salem edged Kinston 4-3. Seth Garrison threw 6 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits. He had 4 strikeouts. Ryne Miller pitched 2 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits. He fanned 1. Derrick Loop tossed a scoreless, hitless inning allowing 1 walk. He had a strikeout. Zach Borowiak went 2 for 3 and scored a run. Daniel Nava went 2 for 3 with a RBI. Luis Exposito went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI.

Greenville was blanked by Asheville 4-0 in a rain-shortened game. The Drive only managed five runners over five innings, and Nick Hagadone struggled in his third start for Greenville this season, allowing 4 earned runs on 4 hits in 2.2 innings. He struck out three and didn't allow a walk. Caleb Clay pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief.

Player of the Night: Adam Mills who tossed 6 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He did not allow a walk and had 8 strikeouts.

Sox agree to terms with second round pick Alex Wilson, fifteen others

The Red Sox have come to terms with fourteen 2009 draft picks and two undrafted free agents, including second-round pick Alex Wilson. The 22-year-old righthander went 5-5 with a 4.22 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 89.2 innings as both a starter and a reliever this season for Texas A&M after missing the entire 2008 season due to Tommy John Surgery. Wilson, a native of Hurricane, West Virginia, possesses an advanced four-pitch repertoire headlined by his fastball that sits around 93-94 mph with very good life. He also throws a plus mid-80s slider that misses a lot of bats. Rated the 52nd-best prospect entering the 2009 draft by Baseball America, Wilson will likely begin his Red Sox career for short-season Lowell when the Spinners' season starts on June 19.

Here is a rundown of other 2009 Red Sox draft picks and undrafted free agents who have agreed to terms with Boston according to various sources. Please note that several of these players' contracts won't become "official" until they have passed a physical, a drug test, and signed on the dotted line.

• 5th Round (168): Seth Schwindenhammer, LF/1B, Limestone Community HS (IL) (received $175,000 signing bonus)


• 8th Round (258): Shannon Wilkerson, RF, Augusta State University


• 12th Round (378): Michael Thomas, C, Southern A&M University


• 13th Round (408): Chris McGuiness, 1B, The Citadel


• 14th Round (438): Willie Holmes, OF, Chaffey College


• 15th Round (468): Michael Bugary, LHP, University of California at Berkeley


• 19th Round (588): Tom Ebert, RHP, Florida International University


• 22nd Round (678): Jordan Flasher, RHP, George Mason University


• 23rd Round (708): Chris Court, RHP, Stephen F. Austin State University


• 26th Round (798): Miles Head, 3B/C, Whitewater HS (GA)


• 30th Round (918): Jeremiah Bayer, RHP, Trinity College


• 47th Round (1428): Jordan Sallis, 2B, UK-Fort Smith


• 50th Round (1518): Drew Hedman, 1B, Pomona College


• Undrafted Free Agent: Sean Killeen, C, Trinity College


• Undrafted Free Agent: Drew Dominguez, SS, Wesleyan University

Federowicz has 4 hits in Drive win

6/16 Cup of Coffee: Action on Monday was light as the Pawtucket-Charlotte game was postpone due to rain. The game will be made up today as part of a doubleheader. Also the Portland Sea Dogs were not scheduled to play yesterday.

Salem downed Kinston 8-1. Casey Kelly pitched 6 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits. He did not give up a walk while recording 5 strikeouts. Kyle Fernandes tossed 2 scoreless, hitless innings giving up a walk. He fanned 2. Josh Papelbon pitched a scoreless 9th allowing a hit. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Mike Jones went 2 for 4 and scored twice. Luis Segovia went 2 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI.

Greenville trounced Bowling Green 13-0. Stephen Fife went an inning and did not allow a run. He gave up 2 hits and fanned 1. Michael Lee pitched 5 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits and a walk. He struck out 5. Armando Zerpa threw 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had a strikeout. Leandro Marin tossed a scoreless 9th giving up a hit. Zach Gentile went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Tim Federowicz went 4 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Mitch Dening went 2 for 4 with a run scored and 4 RBI. Pete Hissey went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Mike Almanzar went 2 for 5 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Tim Federowicz who had 4 hits with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI

Bubba Bell promoted to Pawtucket

Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal is reporting that outfielder Bubba Bell has been promoted from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Pawtucket. Bell was to make his International League debut tonight in center field before Pawtucket's game against the Charlotte Knights was rained out. The 26-year-old Texas native had been hitting .275/.354/.417 with 13 doubles, 5 home runs, 20 RBI and 37 runs scored in 211 at-bats through Sunday's action. He had also accumulated 8 steals in 10 attempts. Bell, who was originally a 39th-round selection by the Red Sox in the 2005 draft, will replace the injured Jon Van Every on the Pawtucket roster.

Q&A with Eddie Romero, Jr.

Eddie Romero, Jr. is the Coordinator of Latin American Operations for the Red Sox, a position that he has held since November 2006. He joined the Sox in February 2006 as a scouting assistant. Romero, a Florida native, oversees all aspects of player development in Latin America, including the Red Sox Dominican Academy headquartered in El Toro. The academy is open forty weeks a year, has up to eighty players and forty employees at a time, and is home to Boston's Dominican scouting efforts. Eddie graduated from the University of Florida for both undergraduate and law school. Before joining the Red Sox, he was a prosecutor for the State Attorneys' Office for the 4th Judicial District of Florida. His father, Ed Sr., was a major league infielder with Milwaukee, Boston, Atlanta, and Detroit from 1977 to 1989. In the interest of learning more about the day-to-day operations of the Latin American Program, SoxProspects.com staff members Jonathan Singer and Mike Andrews sent some questions over to Eddie, which he graciously took the time to answer.

SP: What is your background in baseball? How did you make the transition from the legal field to baseball operations?

ER: My background stems more from growing up in a baseball family than anything else. I never played pro ball, but my father did. Once he retired from playing, he coached throughout the minor leagues. My family would join him in whatever city he was working, and most of what I learned about baseball came from being in those minor league clubhouses and bus trips. It was a unique upbringing that has really helped in my current position. My first job in baseball was in 2002 as an intern with the Milwaukee Brewers, where I was fortunate enough to work with Jack Zduriencik (current GM of the Seattle Mariners) and Bobby Heck (current Scouting Director for the Houston Astros), among many other talented people.

While working as a prosecutor in Jacksonville in 2006, I had sent resumes to every club. Of the several that I sent to the Red Sox, one happened to catch the attention of Craig Shipley, VP of International Scouting. Ship was a teammate of my father’s in the minor leagues and had worked various baseball camps I attended in South Florida. Ship called me out of the blue about an opening in the front office, and two weeks later I was in Boston. Baseball is full of legal “issues”, from basic negotiation to labor and contract law, and that legal background has proved to be useful.

SP: We want to ask some general questions about the workings of the Latin American Program to give Red Sox fans an idea of what it's all about. What is a typical day like at the Dominican Academy during the Dominican Summer League season?

ER: A typical day for our DSL players begins around 6:45 am when they wake up and head to breakfast. After eating, they’ll head to the weight room for their morning workout, which lasts about an hour. Players then go out to the field for early work, stretching, fundamental work, and batting practice until 10:00. The games begin at 10:30 or 11:00, depending on where we play. Select players will have extra work after the games. That is followed by lunch, an hour to rest, and then everyone gets on the bus to ride to English class, which is 2 hours long, 4 days a week. They return for dinner around 7:00, hopefully watch the Red Sox game, and then lights out at 11:00 pm. Sundays are off days in the DSL and most of the Dominican players go home to see their families. It’s a full schedule and, as you can imagine, the guys are exhausted at the end of the day.

SP: What is the calendar like at the Dominican Academy during the off-season? Are there coordinated workouts throughout the off-season? Instructional leagues? Classes? Spring Training?

ER: There is not much of an off-season at the DR Academy. We start with our winter program which runs in January and February, preparing guys for spring training. The academy closes for March while our DSL coaching staff attends spring training in Ft. Myers, and then reopens in April. From April through the start of the DSL, we have coordinated workouts every day and play preseason games. After the DSL season ends in August, players do not report back to the academy until October for the Dominican Instructional League, which ends in late November. For each program, players attend English class 3-4 times a week. Our staff, headed by manager Jose Zapata, does a great job of organizing our workouts throughout the year. We try to duplicate the daily schedule used in Ft. Myers as much as possible to ease the transition once a player gets his call to the States.

SP: Are all players in the Latin American Program signed to the same seven-year standard minor league player contract that domestic players sign, or do some players sign shorter deals?

ER: All Latin players that are signing their first professional contracts (as opposed to players who have been released by another club) sign the same standard contracts that domestic players sign.

SP: What kind of competition do recent signees face at the Dominican Academy after they sign and before they debut in the DSL or in the GCL? For example, Michael Almanzar signed in July 2007 but did not debut for an affiliated team until June of 2008. What type of activity would he be getting in the meantime? Intra-squad games? Scrimmages against other teams? Was he allowed to travel with the DSL squad in 2007?

ER: Recent signees, including our July 2 signees, participate in what is like a parallel league to the DSL. They play 3-4 times a week against other teams’ recently signed players. This is a great way for these signees to get much-needed at-bats/innings under the supervision of our coaches. Michael Almanzar and Roman Mendez are two players who have participated in this league prior to heading to the States or participating in the DSL.

SP: What steps does the organization take to ensure that the players who are signed before the age of 18 get the equivalent of a high school education, and that they learn English?

ER: We really emphasize a useful knowledge of English at the academy. As mentioned above, our players attend an English-only school 3-4 times a week, depending on the time of year. Duncan Webb, our Coordinator of Latin American Education, oversees the curriculum and has done a terrific job continuing the lessons from the DR to our education program in Ft. Myers. We try to be as proactive as possible to ensure that these kids feel comfortable once they get to the States. In addition to the classes, our fundamental work on the field is done in English, almost all of our coaches are bilingual and emphasize English baseball terms, and we hire an English-speaking intern every year to supervise the classes in DR and tutor players who need extra help; the past few years, this intern has been American. The best students are rewarded for their performance at the end of the year. Since the majority of the players we sign from DR have not finished middle school, they do not have enough time while at the academy to attain a high-school-equivalent diploma.

SP: We heard that Chris De La Rosa and Victor De La Cruz were released from the organization shortly after being suspended for performance enhancing drugs. What steps does the organization take to teach players about baseball's drug policies and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs?

ER: Before each of our 3 programs in the DR, our training staff in the DR, headed by Jean Carlos Blanco, gives a presentation on the dangers and restrictions pertaining to performance-enhancing substances. We also provide the players with approved supplements so that they do not have to search for products on their own. Additionally, just before the end of each program, the trainers give the players another presentation to reinforce what is and is not allowed. The suspensions of the players you mention serve as perhaps the strongest deterrent for our current players.

SP: Can you briefly describe the visa process? Are all foreign-born players required to obtain a visa prior to the season, or are there a set number of transferable visas that each team has per country? How quick is the visa process if the front office decides to promote a player without a visa from the DSL during the season?

ER: All foreign-born players (except those born in Puerto Rico) are required to obtain a visa in order to work in the US. A few years ago, immigration laws were changed to remove the visa cap which allowed each MLB team a set number of visas. With the new guidelines, there is no limit as to how many visas we can obtain. Once the decisions are made by Mike Hazen, our Farm Director, and the rest of the player development staff on who will be coming to the US, Raquel Ferreira, our Director of Minor League Operations, coordinates the process by requesting the visas with the US government. Once the visas are approved, and with the help of our international scouts, we set up appointments at the US consulates in each country for our players. The players are interviewed at these embassies, and once they are approved, they are free to travel to the US.

The visa process is quite lengthy and expensive, so we try to get all of our visa approvals done prior to the season. The procedure can take a few months, so a player without a visa is highly unlikely to be promoted.

JS: The Red Sox last had a Venezuelan Summer League team in 2005. Has there been any discussion about going back to Venezuela and fielding a team in the VSL again?

ER: We have not entertained the idea of fielding a team in the VSL. I like the idea of centering a team’s Latin operation in one place, and given the political climate in Venezuela at the moment, the safest, most efficient place for us to have that program is in the DR. However, we remain very active in scouting Venezuela.

SP: Beyond the day-to-day operations, we're obviously curious about the players. Who are some players that we should keep an eye on this year for the DSL Red Sox?

ER: From an offensive standpoint, we’re very excited about Oscar Perez. Oscar has been playing in Extended Spring games in Ft. Myers, and we recently sent him to the DR so he could catch 4-5 games per week. He’s a great kid with a very strong work ethic, and has the tools to be a good defender with offensive upside. Keury De La Cruz is another young player with tools. He’s one of our most recent signees, and he’ll get the majority of games in center field. He has a very smooth left-handed swing and a good approach, especially considering his age. Curtney Doran, another recent signee from Curacao, has shown us a lot of talent in a short amount of time. His overall game is very aggressive and he’ll be the everyday right fielder. He’s a strong kid with good plate discipline and power. He’s also got a plus throwing arm.

On the pitching side, Raynel Vellette and Juan Rodriguez have had good starts to the season. Raynel is a wiry right-handed pitcher who participated in instructional ball last year in the States after the DSL. He has a quick arm with command of his fastball, and an advanced feel for his secondary pitches, especially his breaking ball. Juan Rodriguez is a power arm who has really come on lately. He’s intense and likes to attack hitters, and has been working hard on his slider and split-fingered fastball. Nestor Lastreto has also pitched very well. Although he isn’t a power arm, he’s got a great feel for pitching and above-average fastball command, which is something we really emphasize to players at this level.

SP: Players promoted from the Latin American Program are faced with the difficult task of assimilating into a different culture. What makes for a successful transition from the Latin American Program to the States? For example, what traits - beyond their baseball skills - have made for the successful transitions of players like Stolmy Pimentel, Felix Doubront, and Argenis Diaz?

ER: More than anything, a player’s makeup will help ease his transition to the US. Players that are willing to accept a different culture and make an effort to understand the language and the accompanying lifestyle changes in a new country will assimilate a lot easier, and in turn will feel more confident on the field. We impress upon the young kids that the key is feeling comfortable in their new surroundings, such as being able to talk with their new teammates, being able to communicate with their coaches, and ordering food at a restaurant without problems. And we also make sure that they keep in touch with their support systems back home. Another tremendous resource we have is Jesus Alou, our DR Academy director. Jesus has been in baseball almost 50 years and seen everything, and many players contact Jesus when they need some advice.

You mention Argenis, Felix, and Stolmy; I think the common thread with those players was their willingness to be proactive learning the way of life here. They were not afraid to make mistakes or sound silly. Stolmy actually won the award 2 years ago for being our best English student after his DSL season. Last week while I was in Ft. Myers, a group of about a dozen Latin American players gathered at the minor league complex to watch the Portland game which was being televised. They were all very impressed by the way Doubront handled himself in his pregame interview, and as much as we want to stress the importance of learning English, seeing a peer conduct a full interview really captures their attention.

SP: What attributes made Manny Rivera and Roman Mendez so successful last season?

ER: Roman and Manny both made huge strides during the season last year. They were able to command the fastball and improve the secondary aspects of pitching. They could slow things down in tight situations, control the running game, and not be phased by negative plays. They’re both very mature pitchers in spite of their ages, exhibited by the way they prepare for their appearances. Mendez is more of a power-type pitcher with plus velocity. Manny relies more on his deception and control, though his velocity has ticked up this year. They’ll be fun to follow.

Weiland pitches 6 strong innings in no decision start

6/15 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket's offense pounded out 20 hits on route to a 15-5 win over Syracuse. Enrique Gonzalez went 4.1 innings allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He had 5 strikeouts. Billy Traber threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up 3 hits and struck out 2. Jose Vaquedano pitched a scoreless inning allowing 2 hits. Hunter Jones went 1 scoreless frame allowing 2 hits. He struck out 2. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 5 with a home run. He scored 2 runs. Chris Carter went 3 for 6 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Aaron Bates went 3 for 5 and scored 2 runs. He is 8 for 20 since his promotion. Paul McAnulty went 2 for 6 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Carlos Maldonado went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Travis Denker went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Gil Velazquez went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Angel Chavez went 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI.

Akron blanked Portland 8-0. Ryne Lawson threw 5 innings giving up 8 runs on 8 hits and 5 walks. He fanned 1. Richie Lentz pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 3. Chad Rhoades threw a clean inning. The Sea Dog offense managed just 2 hits in the game.

Myrtle Beach downed Salem 5-2 in 12 innings. Kyle Weiland threw 6 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Jason Rice pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit and 2 walks. He struck out 3. Jose Capellan went 3 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2. Robert Coello threw an inning allowing 3 runs on a hit and a walk. He fanned 1. Will Vazquez went 2 for 5 with a RBI.

Greenville defeated Bowling Green 6-4. Hunter Strickland threw 5.1 frames giving up 1 run on 6 hitss and a walk. He had a strikeout. Fabian Williamson pitched 1.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Mitch Herold tossed 2 scoreless frames allowing a hit and a walk. He fanned 2. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Pete Hissey went 3 for 3.

Player of the Night: Kyle Weiland who allowed 1 run over 6 innings of work

Sox sign fifth round pick Schwindenhammer

The Red Sox have signed Seth Schwindenhammer, their fifth-round selection in last week's draft, for $175,000, WEEK news (NBC, East Peoria, IL) is reporting. Schwindenhammer is a power hitting lefty who played left field and first base at Limestone Community High School (IL), where he batted .434 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs as a senior. He is expected to report to Fort Myers and join the GCL Red Sox when their season begins June 24. Schwindenhammer had previously committed to play baseball at the University of Illinois.

Bates homers twice in PawSox win

6/14 Cup of Coffee: Action on Saturday saw Pawtucket down Syracuse 6-2. Michael Bowden went 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He had 5 strikeouts. Marcus McBeth tossed an clean 8th inning while Fernando Cabrera pitched a clean 9th recording a strikeout. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 5. Aaron Bates went 2 for 3 with 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI. He is hitting .333 since his promotion. Gil Velazquez went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Akron defeated Portland 5-1. Junichi Tazawa threw 4.1 frames giving up 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 3. Dustin Richardson pitched 2.1 scoreless frames allowing 2 hits. He fanned 5. Blake Maxwell tossed 1.1 scoreless innings and did not allow a hit. He gave up a walk. Josh Reddick went 2 for 5. Lars Anderson went 2 for 3 and scored a run.

Salem downed Myrtle Beach 6-4. Byran Price pitched 5 innings giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He fanned 4. Ryne Miller threw 2 scoreless frames allowing 1 hit. He struck out 4. Derrick Loop tossed 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Che-Hsuan Lin went 3 for 4 scoring 3 times to go along with a RBI. Luis Exposito went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Greenville blanked Bowling Green 6-0. Brock Huntzinger tossed 6 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits. He did not walk a hitter while recording 5 strikeouts. Felix Ventura pitched 3 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits and a walk. He fanned 4. David Mailman went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 5 with a RBI. Kade Keowen went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 5 with a RBI. Ryan Dent went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Aaron Bates who had 2 homers, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI

Portice throws 7 shutout innings in Salem win

6/13 Cup of Coffee: On Friday, Syracuse took both games of a doubleheader against Pawtucket. They took the first game 4-1. John Smoltz pitched a complete game going all 6 innings. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He struck out 6. The Pawtucket offense managed just 2 hits in the game. Syracuse took the second contest by an identical 4-1 score. Charlie Zink threw 5 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. He had a strikeout. Randor Bierd pitched a clean final inning fanning 1 of the 3 hitters he faced. Paul McAnulty went 2 for 3 with a RBI.

Portland edged Akron 1-0. Felix Doubront threw 5 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits. He did not allow a walk while striking out 2. Chris Province pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He gave up a walk. Andrew Dobies went 1.1 frames and did not allow a run. He gave up 1 hit and 2 walks. He fanned 2. TJ Large retired the 2 hitters he faced to earn the save. Mark Wagner continued to swing a hot bat going 2 for 4 with a RBI. He raised his batting average to .339.

Salem blanked Myrtle Beach 6-0. Eammon Portice went 7 innings and did not allow a run. He gave up 4 hits and did not walk a batter. He struck out 4. Kyle Fernandes pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Zach Borowiak went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 5 and scored 2 runs. Daniel Nava went 3 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI. Luis Exposito went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Greenville trounced Asheville 11-3. Stolmy Pimentel threw 5 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. He struck out 7. Armando Zerpa tossed 2 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and a walk. He fanned 4. Lance McClain threw the final 2 frames giving up 2 runs on a hit and a walk. He struck out 2. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 5 raising his batting average to .325. He hit his 9th home run and scored 2 times. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 and scored a run. Kade Keowen went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Will Middlebrooks went 2 for 3 and scored a run. Mitch Dening went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Zach Gentile went 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Eammon Portice who threw 7 shutout innings in Salem's win. He allowed 4 hits and did not walk a batter.

Red Sox announce minor league performance awards for May

The Red Sox have announced the organization's Performance Award Winners for the month of May, and they are as follows:

Baserunner of the Month: Bubba Bell, OF, Portland (5 stolen bases in 5 chances)

Defender of the Month: Mark Wagner, C, Portland (0.59 wild pitches + passed balls per 9 innings, 0 errors, 83.3% caught stealing percentage)

Base Stealer of the Month: Felix Sanchez, OF

Player of the Month: Aaron Bates, 1B/LF, Pawtucket (.379/.467/.612, 6 doubles, 6 home runs for Portland)

Pitcher of the Month: Clay Buchholz, RHP, Pawtucket (3-0, 1.12 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 40.1 innings)

Jimenez drives in 3 in Sea Dog win

6/12 Cup of Coffee: Action was light on Thursday for Sox affiliates as the Pawtucket game against Syracuse was postponed and High-A Salem was not scheduled to play.

Portland defeated Erie 5-3. Jarod Plummer threw 6 innings giving up 3 runs on 2 hits and 6 walks. He had 7 strikeouts. Chad Rhoades pitched 1.2 scoreless frames allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 3. TJ Large got the final 4 outs and did not allow a run. He gave up a hit and a walk. He fanned 2. Josh Reddick went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Mark Wagner went 2 for 4 and scored a run. He raised his batting average to .333. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Ryan Kalish went 3 for 4 and lifted his average to .202.

Asheville downed Greenville 5-1. Nick Hagadone threw 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings. He allowed a walk and had 4 strikeouts. Caleb Clay went 5.1 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 2. Leandro Marin did not retire a hitter but was charged with giving up 3 runs, 1 of them earned. He did not allow a hit but walked 2. Mitch Herold finished the 9th and allowed 2 hits. He had 3 strikeouts. Zach Gentile went 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Player of the Night: Jorge Jimenez who had 3 hits including a home run and 3 RBI.

Ten former Sox draftees re-drafted

Ten former Red Sox picks were re-drafted in 2009:

2008 Red Sox Draftees
38. Bobby Hernandez, RHP Barry - 28th round by Los Angeles (NL)
39. Yan Gomes, C Barry - 10th round by Toronto
44. Bennett Whitmore, LHP Oregon - 32nd round by Seattle

2007 Red Sox Draftees
14. Jake Cowan, RHP San Jacinto - 10th round by Houston
36. Scott Lyons, SS Arkansas - 15th round by Kansas City

2006 Red Sox Draftees
11. Brandon Belt, LHP Texas - 5th round by San Francisco
28. Carmine Giardina, LHP Tampa - 22nd round by Pittsburgh
34. Bryan Morgado, LHP Tennessee - 3rd round by Chicago (AL)
37. Justin Marks, LHP Louisville - 3rd round by Oakland

2005 Red Sox Draftees
28. Ryan Hinson, RHP Clemson 10th round by San Diego

2009 Draft: How the Red Sox' picks ranked

After three days, all fifty rounds of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft are in the books. Among Boston's fifty selections, ten were among those ranked highly by by Baseball America and PG Crosschecker, two of the foremost authorities in amateur scouting. Four of those players - first-round pick Reymond Fuentes, second-round pick Alex Wilson, third-round pick David Renfroe, and seventh-round pick Madison Younginer - were ranked as top-100 talents on both lists. Listed below are the players drafted by the Red Sox who were ranked on either pre-draft list:

Round - Pick - Player - Position - Rank

1-28, Reymond Fuentes, OF (BA:54, PG:52)
2-77, Alex Wilson, RHP (BA:52, PG:62)
3-107, David Renfroe, SS/RHP (BA:67, PG:33)
4-138, Jeremy Hazelbaker, OF (BA:107, PG:144)
7-228, Madison Younginer, RHP (BA:45, PG:50)
9-288, Kendal Volz, RHP (BA:92, PG:113)
10-318, Brandon Jacobs, OF (PG:213)
17-528, Kraig Sitton, LHP (PG:230)
18-558, Renny Parthemore, RHP (BA:150, PG:216)
26-798, Miles Head, 3B (PG:204)

PG refers to overall PG Crosschecker draft ranking, June 5, 2009
BA refers to overall Baseball America draft ranking, May 27, 2009

Seven New England players selected on Day Three

Seven New England players were selected on Day Three of the MLB Draft:

overall - round - team - player - school
#954 (32nd) San Diego - David Erickson, RHP, UConn
#1079 (36th) Ciicninnati - Chris Burleson, SS, Southern Maine
#1084 (36th) Texas - Matthew Carasiti, RHP, Berlin HS (CT)
#1098 (36th) Boston - Michael Yastrzemski, RF, St. John's Prep (MA)
#1123 (37th) Chicago (AL) - Joseph Serafin, LHP, Vermont
#1125 (37th) New York (AL) - Justin Milo, OF, Vermont
#1488 (49th) Boston - Chris Constantino, 3B, Bishop Hendricken (RI)

Red Sox Selections Rounds 41-50

Wrapping up Day Three of the Red Sox 2009 Draft, here are selections 41-50:

41st Round (1248) - Kyle Rutter, RHP, North Carolina State University
42nd Round (1278) - Gera Sanchez, RHP, New Mexico Junior College
43rd Round (1308) - Luke Maile, C, Covington Catholic HS, (KY)
44th Round (1338) - Derrick Thomas, RF, Roswell HS (GA)
45th Round (1368) - Kyle Arnsberg, C, Arlington Lamar HS (TX)
46th Round (1398) - John Pivach, RHP, University of New orleans
47th Round (1428) - Jordan Sallis, 2B, University of Arkansas
48th Round (1458) - Brian Heere, RF, University of Kansas
49th Round (1488) - Chris Constantino, 3B, Bishop Hendricken HS (RI)
50th Round (1518) - Andrew Hedman, 1B, Pomona-Pitzer College (CA)

Red Sox Selections Rounds 31-40

It's now Day Three of the Red Sox 2009 Draft, and here is a rundown of selections 31-40:

31st Round (948) - Shaughn Webb, LHP, Palm Beach CC (FL)

32nd Round (978) - Michael Clark, LHP, American Heritage HS (FL)

33rd Round (1008) - William Tart, RHP, Pendleton HS (NC)

34th Round (1038) - James Patterson, LHP, Central Arizona College

35th Round (1068) - Matthew Milroy, RHP, Marmion Academy HS (IL)

36th Round (1098) - Michael Yastrzemski, RF, St. John's Prep HS (MA)

37th Round (1128) - Matthew Koch, Washington HS (IA)

38th Round (1158) - Ezekiel Devoss, CF, Astronaut HS (FL)

39th Round (1188) - Gavin McCourt, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)

40th Round (1218) - James Dykstra, RHP , Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)

Of particular note amongst these selections is that of right fielder Michael Yastrzemski Jr. out of St. John's Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts. Yastrzemski is the grandson of Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, whose number 8 is retired by the organization. The 5'11" 175-lb left-handed batter is committed to Vanderbilt, and will likely be a very tough sign. This past summer, Yastrzemski hit a team-best .471 with 19 runs scored and 15 RBI for the Andover Legion team.

BA lists best available players for Day Three

Conor Glassey of Baseball America has pulled together a list of the best players still on the board as Day Three of the MLB Draft kicks off at 11:30 AM ET. Three of those players are from New England:

Myckie Lugbauer, C, U. of Maine (Mahopac, NY)

Michael Yastrzemski, OF, St. John’s Prep (Danvers, MA)

Matt Carasiti, RHP, Berlin High School (Berlin, CT)

Wagner perfect at plate in Sea Dog loss

6/11 Cup of Coffee: Wednesday saw three Sox affiliate teams in action and the offense for the three teams produced exactly zero runs.

First of all there was no action scheduled at the AAA level so Pawtucket was idle.

Erie blanked Portland 3-0. Adam Mills threw 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He had 5 strikeouts. Andrew Dobies pitched a clean inning fanning 1. Chris Province went an inning allowing a run on 2 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Mark Wagner reached base 4 times going 3 for 3 with a walk. Jon Still went 2 for 4.

Wilmington shut out Salem 5-0. Casey Kelly threw 5 innings allowing 4 runs on 6 hits. He did not allow a walk and had 4 strikeouts. Ryne Miller pitched 2 innings giving up a run on a walk. He fanned 2. Jason Rice tossed a scoreless frame giving up 1 hit. Zach Borowiak had half of Salem's hits going 2 for 3 in the game.

Despite outhitting Wilmington 8-6, the Greenville offense could not produce a run and they fell 1-0 to the Hot Rods. Stephen Fife threw 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits. He did not allow a walk while fanning 3. Michael Lee pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief allowing a hit and a walk. He struck out 4. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 4 and is hitting .323. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 4.

Player of the Night: Mark Wagner who was perfect at the plate going 3 for 3 with a walk in the Sea Dog loss. He is now hitting .327.

More New England players selected on Day 2

Day two of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft saw many more New England players selected than the three were selected in the first four rounds on day one. Here is a rundown of the New England players that were selected on day two.

#128 Florida, Daniel Mahoney, RHP, UConn
#242 Kansas City, Gardner Odenbach, RHP, UConn
#314 New York (NL), Nick Santomauro, RF, Dartmouth College
#414 San Diego, Nicholas Greenwood, LHP, Rhode Island
#447 San Francisco, Kyle Vazquez, RHP, Franklin Pierce U
#507 San Francisco, Christopher Gloor, LHP, Quinnipiac University
#551 Houston, James MacDonald, RHP, Boston College
#584 New York (NL), Nelfi Zapata, C, English HS (MA)
#622 Washington, Mitchell Clegg, LHP, Umass Amhert
#641 Houston, Barry Butera, 2B, Boston College
#663 Oakland, Ryan Quigley, LHP, Northeastern University
#730 Toronto, Matt Nuzzo, SS, Brown University
#736 Milwaukee, Peter Fatse, 2B, UConn
#738 Boston, Daniel Kemp, SS, Tantasqua Reg HS (MA)
#743 Seattle, Brandon Josselyn, RHP, Yale University
#799 Tampa Bay, Daniel Rhault, SS, Rhode Island
#810 Detroit, Patrick McKenna, SS, Bryant University
#819 St. Louis, Johnathan Folino, RHP, UConn
#833 Seattle, Regan Flaherty, 1B, Deering HS (ME)
#867 SF, Luke Demko, RHP, Rhode Island
#908 Florida, Harold Brantley, CF, UConn
#915 NYY, Kyle McKenzie, RHP, Thayer Academy (MA)
#919 Boston, Jeremiah Bayer, RHP, Trinity College

Going into day three, there is still some talented New England players that have yet to be drafted. Here is a rundown of some of the top remaining New England players:

Michael Yastrzemski, OF/LHP, St. John's Prep HS (MA), Committed to Vanderbilt
Matt Carasiti, RHP, Berlins HS (CT), Committed to St. Johns
Evan Marzilli, OF, Bishop Hendricken HS (RI), Committed to South Carolina
Dominic Leone, RHP, Norwich Free Academy (CT), Committed to Clemson
Tim Brechbuehler, RHP, Avon Old Farms (CT), Committed to North Carolina
Myckie Lugbauer, 1B/C, University of Maine

Sox trade Ambres to the Mets

On a day otherwise consumed by the Rule IV Draft, the Red Sox have traded Pawtucket outfielder Chip Ambres to the New York Mets and will receive future considerations in return. For Ambres, this will be his second stint with the Mets organization, having gone 1 for 3 in 3 games for New York in 2007. It will also be the second time he will have been traded by the Red Sox, having been sent to Kansas City in 2005 as part of the deal that brought Tony Graffanino to Boston. He had been hitting .259/.335/.368 with 3 home runs, 18 RBI and 18 runs scored in 185 at-bats for Pawtucket. A veteran of eleven minor league seasons, the 29-year-old Ambres was the first round selection (27th overall) of the Florida Marlins in 1998. He owns career .259/.361/.437 numbers with 116 home runs and 484 RBI in 3772 minor league at bats playing in the Marlins, Red Sox, Royals, Mets and Padres organizations.

Red Sox Selections Rounds 21-30

Wrapping up our coverage of Day Two of the Red Sox 2009 Draft, here is a rundown of selections 21-30:

21st Round (648) - Randall Fant, LHP, Texas HS (TX)
22nd Round (678) - Jordan Flasher, RHP, George Mason University
23rd Round (708) - Christopher Court, RHP, Stephen F Austin State University
24th Round (738) - Daniel Kemp, SS, Tantasqua Regional HS (MA)
25th Round (768) - Austin House, RHP, La Cueva HS (NM)
26th Round (798) - Miles Head, 3B, Whitewater HS (GA)
27th Round (828) - Reed Gragnani, SS, Mills E Godwin HS (VA)
28th Round (858) - Eric Curtis, RHP, Miami Dade CC
29th Round (888) - Cody Stubbs, 1B, Tuscola HS (NC)
30th Round (918) - Jeremiah Bayer, RHP, Trinity College

Red Sox Selections Rounds 11-20

Continuing our coverage of Day Two of the Red Sox 2009 Draft, here is a rundown of selections 11-20:

11th round (348) - Jason Thompson, SS, Germantown HS (TN)
12th round (378) - Michael Thomas, C, Southern University A&M
13th round (408) - Christopher McGuiness, 1B, The Citadel
14th round (438) - William Holmes, RF, Chaffey College
15th round (468) - Michael Bugary, LHP, University of California Berkeley
16th round (498) - Luke Bard, RHP, Charlotte Christian School (NC)
17th round (528) - Kraig Sitton, LHP, Oregon State University
18th round (558) - Reynolds Parthemore, RHP, Cedar Cliff HS (PA)
19th round (588) - Thomas Ebert, RHP, Florida International University
20th round (618) - Alexander Hassan, RHP, Duke University

Sox select Brandon Jacobs in the Tenth Round

In the tenth round of the 2009 draft, the Red Sox used the 318th pick overall to select leftfielder Brandon Jacobs from Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. Jacobs was a top football recruit who signed with Auburn to play running back. He once said he is focused more on football than baseball, but recently has stated that he would probably sign for slot money for rounds seven and up. A big kid at 5’11”, 240 pounds, Jacobs has plus raw power with natural lift in his swing. He hit .511 his senior season for baseball powerhouse Parkview, hitting 7 home runs and posting a 1.307 slugging percentage. He ran slow 60-yard times this spring (7.56 seconds), but has run the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds in football workouts.

Sox select Kendal Volz in the Ninth Round

With their ninth-round selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, the Red Sox have taken Baylor junior pitcher Kendal Volz. Volz is a big, intimidating, sinkerballer who overpowers hitters with two plus out-pitches. His power sinker sits between 93-95 MPH with explosive late sinking life, and he compliments it with a low 80's spike curveball. Entering the 2009 season, the 6'5", 225-pound Volz was thought to be a first-round talent, but after a rough spring (3-7, 4.50 ERA, 91 hits and 78 strikeouts in 86.0 innings), his stock fell. He has been described as having terrific mound presence, and he was dominant as Team USA's closer over the summer. There is a strong chance Volz will want to return to Baylor to improve his draft stock for 2010, but the Red Sox will try to convince him otherwise.

Sox select Shannon Wilkerson in the Eighth Round

With their eighth-round pick, number 258 overall, the Red Sox selected rightfielder Shannon Wilkerson from Augusta State University. Wilkerson, a 6'0", 198-pound junior, was named the National NCAA Division II Player of the Year by both the NCBWA and ABCA. A native of Dacula, Georgia, he led the Peach Belt Conference with a .441 batting average, .891 slugging percentage, 82 runs scored, 101 hits, 24 home runs, and 7 triples this year, and he was also named to the Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove team after going errorless in 146 chances. Wilkerson also led the Jaguars with a .502 on-base percentage and 13 steals in 57 games.

Sox select Madison Younginer in the Seventh Round

In the seventh round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, using the 228th overall pick, the Red Sox have selected righthander Madison Younginer out of Mauldin High School in Simpsonville, South Carolina. After going 5-0 with a 1.51 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 19 innings this season as a relief pitcher for Mauldin High, Younginer was rated the 45th-best prospect by Baseball America for this year's draft. He has been recruited by Clemson as both a hitter and pitcher. Younginer is athletic, possessing a fastball that sits in the mid-90's that can touch 97 and a power breaking ball that both project as plus pitches. He has the pure stuff to have gone in the first round this year, and at 6'3" and 190 pounds, he has room to fill out and add more velocity to his fastball.

Sox select Branden Kline in the Sixth Round

In the sixth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft with the 198th pick overall, the Red Sox selected high school pitcher Branden Kline out of Governor Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick, Maryland. The 6’3”, 185-pound righthander, who is committed to play at Virginia, sits in the high 80’s/low 90’s with his fastball, and touched 95 mph during the spring. In 41 innings his senior season, Kline allowed just three runs and 16 hits, striking out 79 batters and going 6-1. Kline is said to be strongly leaning toward attending UVA, and he has been quoted as saying it could take over $5 million to buy him out of that commitment.

Sox select Seth Schwindenhammer in the Fifth Round

With their second pick on day two of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft, their fifth round pick and pick number 168 overall, the Red Sox selected outfielder Seth Schwindenhammer out of Limestone Community High School in Bartonville, IL. The 6'2", 200-pound lefthanded hitter was rated the number 2 two-way player, the number 3 hitter and as having the number 8 fastball in the state of Illinois this year by Prep Baseball Report. He hit .427 with and 13 home runs 42 RBI in 2008, and he is considered a premier power prospect as a hitter. He also has a cannon for an arm, and can throw in the low 90's as a pitcher. He is committed to the University of Illinois.

Sox select Jeremy Hazelbaker in the Fourth Round

The Red Sox began day two of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft by selecting Jeremy Hazelbaker from Ball State University with their fourth-round pick, number 138 overall. The speedy center fielder hit .429 in his junior season with the Cardinals, getting on base at a .550 clip and slugging .724 while swiping 29 bases in 50 games as the team’s leadoff hitter. His on-base percentage was second-best in the country, setting a school record, as did his 77 runs scored and 8 triples. After playing his first two seasons at Ball State at second base, Hazelbaker thrived this year after being moved to the outfield, where he used his speed to cover lots of ground. Hazelbaker is also an adept bunter, and possesses good power, although he uses his skill set as more of a typical leadoff hitter by getting on base and causing havoc on the basepaths. Hazelbaker was ranked as the 107th-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America and 144th overall prospect by PG Crosschecker entering the draft.

Strickland tosses 5.2 scoreless innings in Drive win

6/10 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket scored a run in the bottom of the 9th inning to edge Durham 2-1. Clay Buchholz threw 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 2. Marcus McBeth pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings. He gave up a walk and had 3 strikeouts. Hunter Jones threw a scoreless inning giving up 2 hits. He had a strikeout. Rocky Cherry pitched a scoreless, hitless inning giving up a walk. He had a strikeout. Chip Ambres and Chris Carter each went 2 for 4. Angel Chavez went 2 for 3 and scored a run.

Erie trounced Portland 11-2. Ryne Lawson threw 4.1 innings allowing 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4. Dustin Richardson pitched 1.2 scoreless innings giving up a hit. He had 3 strikeouts. Chad Rhoades tossed a clean inning recording a strikeout. Richie Lentz retired 2 hitters but not before giving up 4 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Blake Maxwell got the final out but gave up a run on a hit and 2 walks. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 4 and scored a run.

Wilmington blanked Salem 2-0. Seth Garrison went 5.2 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 2. Robert Coello threw 2 innings giving up a run on 3 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Kyle Fernandes faced 1 hitter and retired him. Che-Hsuan Lin went 2 for 4. Matt Sheely went 2 for 3.

Greenville pounded out 17 hits on way to a 12-0 rout of Bowling Green. Hunter Strickland pitched 5.2 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits. He fanned 5. Fabian Williamson threw 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed 3 hits and 2 base on balls. He struck out 2. Tim Federowicz went 3 for 5 with a home run, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Anthony Rizzo went 3 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 5 with 3 runs scored and a RBI. Kade Keowen went 3 for 6 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Will Middlebrooks went 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI. Zach Gentile went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Hunter Strickland who threw 5.2 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits. He did not give up a walk while recording 5 strikeouts.

Day One Draft Podcast

In a quick pod-blast, the roundtable discusses the players selected by the Red Sox on Day One, as well as what to expect on Day Two. Hope you enjoy!

The Links
Full Link
iTunes Link

Roundtable: Mike Andrews, Ian Theodoridis, Chris Hatfield and Chris Mellen

Best Available Players for Day Two

Day One of the 2009 MLB Amateur Player Draft is in the books, and after 111 selections and three rounds several highly-rated players will still be available when Day Two begins tomorrow. Headlining the crop of available talent is Yuba City High School catcher Max Stassi, a polished, five-tool catcher that has an above-average bat with power to all fields. Stassi is ranked #30 by Baseball America and #31 by PG Crosschecker. After hitting .538 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI during his senior season, Stassi had been rumored to be in the mix when the Red Sox selected in the first round, but Boston instead drafted Puerto Rican outfielder Reymond Fuentes.

Also available is lefthanded first baseman Jeff Malm out of Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. Malm, who hit .564 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, and 16 steals in 133 at-bats during his senior season, is one of the top all-around hitters in the 2009 class with a sweet left-handed stroke and pull power who is also a good defender at first base. The 6'3" 215-pound lefty is ranked #59 by Baseball America and # 39 by PG Crosschecker and is committed to the University of Southern California. Other notable available players include University of South Carolina righthanded pitcher Sam Dyson (#38 BA, #42 PG), Louisiana prep school righthander Brody Colvin (#43 BA, #46 PG), Texas A&M lefthanded pitcher/outfielder Brooks Raley (#82 BA, #47 PG), Florida prep school righthander Keyvius Sampson (#47 BA, #49 PG), and South Carolina prep school righthander Madison Younginer (#45 BA, #50 PG).

Sox select David Renfroe in the Third Round

With their third round selection, number 108 overall, the Red Sox selected SS/RHP David Renfroe out of South Panola High School (MS), their last selection of day one and their first true "signability" pick. PG Crosschecker had ranked Renfroe the 33rd overall prospect in the 2009 draft and Baseball America rated him 67th. Like last year's first-round pick, Casey Kelly, Renfroe was a two-way player in high school who has stated his desire to be an everyday player and remain at shortstop. Renfroe is polished at the plate with a good swing, having posted a .509 batting average during his senior season, and can hit for average power. He has soft hands and a strong arm in the field and possesses good athleticism. As a pitcher, his fastball sits at 88-92 MPH, topping out at 95, and he also throws a breaking ball and a change-up, but both are less consistent than his fastball. He has committed to play baseball at Ole Miss, his father's alma mater.

Three New England Players Selected on Day One

Three New England players were selected on Day One of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft: Tony Sanchez (C, Boston College), Mike Belfiore (LHP, Boston College), and Eric Smith (RHP, University of Rhode Island). Sanchez, a catcher, was drafted fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates after leading the Boston College Eagles to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1967. He hit .355 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI this season for BC. Belfiore and Smith were both drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first compensation round and second round, respectively. Belfiore, ranked #45 overall by PG Crosschecker, is a 6'3, 220 l.b left-handed pitcher and was a teammate of Tony Sanchez at Boston College. He went 5-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 8 saves for the Eagles this year. Smith, a 6'3" righty and PG Crosschecker's #60 overall draft prospect, went 5-3 with a 4.08 ERA this season for the Rams.

Here are some of the top New England players still available on Day 2 of the draft:

Kyle McKenzie, RHP/SS, Thayer Academy (Tulane Signee), Canton, MA
Daniel Mahoney, RHP, University of Connecticut, Brighton, MA
Michael Yastrzemski, OF/LHP, St. John's Prep (Vanderbilt Signee) Danvers, MA

Sox select Alex Wilson in the Second Round

With their second-round pick, 77th overall, the Red Sox have selected Alex Wilson, a right-handed pitcher out of Texas A&M. Wilson, who stands 6'1" and weighs 200 pounds, throws an array of above-average pitches, headlined by a fastball usually sitting in the mid-90s with a low-80s slider that also projects to be a plus pitch. He also throws a developing changeup. The 22-year-old was an All-American at Winthrop and a likely top-10 pick in 2008 before suffering a torn elbow ligament the summer after his sophomore season that required Tommy John surgery. Wilson was selected by the Cubs in 10th round of the 2008 amateur draft despite the injury, but did not sign after being offered a six-figure signing bonus after pitching in the Cape Cod League. He then transferred to Texas A&M to finish his collegiate career, where in his one season for the Aggies, he began the year as a starter before moving to the bullpen. In 89.2 innings, Wilson was 5-5 with a 4.22 ERA, striking out 120 batters and walking just 25.

First Round Concludes

The first round of the 2009 draft has concluded. Here is the rundown of the picks from the second half of the round.

17. Arizona - A.J. Pollock, CF, University of Notre Dame
18. Florida - Chad James, LHP, Yukon HS (OK)
19. St. Louis - Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS (TX)
20. Toronto - Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State University
21. Houston - Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita High School (CA)
22. Minnesota - Kyle Gibson, RHP, University of Missouri
23. Chicago (AL) - Jared Mitchell, CF, Louisiana State University
24. Los Angeles (AL) - Randal Grichuk, OF, Lamar Consolidated HS (TX)
25. Los Angeles (AL) - Mike Trout, CF, Millville Senior HS (NJ)
26. Milwaukee - Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana University
27. Seattle - Nick Franklin, SS, Lake Brantley HS (FL)
28. Boston - Reymond Fuentes, CF, Fernando Callejo HS (PR)
29. New York (AL) - Slade Heathcott, CF, Texas HS (AR)
30. Tampa Bay - LeVon Washington, 2B, Buchholz HS (FL)
31. Chicago (NL) - Brett Jackson, CF, University of California Berkeley
32. Colorado - Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State University

Sox Select Reymond Fuentes with the 28th Pick

The Boston Red Sox have selected outfielder Reymond Fuentes out of Fernando Callejo High School in Manati, Puerto Rico with the 28th pick of the 2009 First Year Player Draft. Fuentes, who checks in at 6'0 and 160 lbs, is a lefthanded hitting centerfielder with excellent athleticism. He hit .424 (14-for-33) with 3 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs, 14 RBI, 18 runs scored, 12 walks and 9 stolen bases in 13 games in 2009, posting a .620 on-base percentage while slugging 1.091. He also has game-breaking speed, having been clocked at 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash during pre-draft workouts. Fuentes' smooth, line-drive stroke produces excellent contact and gives him the ability to drive balls into the gap. He doesn't project to hit for much power down the line, but his elite speed sets him as a top-of-the-order tablesetter who will put pressure on defenses with his elite speed. In the outfield, he has the range to stick in centerfield and the ability to track down just about any ball, often making highlight-reel plays. Look for Fuentes to report to the Gulf Coast League after coming to terms with the Red Sox sometime during the summer.

2009 MLB Draft Kicks Off

The 2009 MLB Amateur Draft is under way and so far sixteen players have been selected. It came as no surprise that the Washington Nationals selected San Diego State righthander Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick. Strasburg is projected to be a true ace starting pitcher and could reach the big leagues as early as this season. Here is a rundown of the top sixteen selections:

1. Washington - Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State University
2. Seattle - Dustin Ackley, CF, University of North Carolina
3. San Diego - Donavan Tate, CF, Cartersville HS (GA)
4. Pittsburgh - Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College
5. Baltimore - Matthew Hobgood, RHP, Norco HS (CA)
6. San Francisco - Zack Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS (GA)
7. Atlanta - Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt University
8. Cincinnati - Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State University
9. Detroit - Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy (MO)
10. Washington - Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford University
11. Colorado - Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA)
12. Kansas City - Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats
13. Oakland - Grant Green, SS, University of Southern California
14. Texas - Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (TX)
15. Cleveland - Alex White, RHP, University of North Carolina
16. Arizona - Bobby Borchering, 3B, Bishop Verot HS (FL)

Follow the Draft at SoxProspects.com

Day One of the MLB Draft is an hour away! You can follow along with the draft at SoxProspects.com, where we'll bring you up-to-the-minute coverage on the first round, as well as detailed reports on Boston's Day One picks. After the third round, look for a quick podcast, a report on the New England Players selected on Day One, and a preview of the best players available on Day Two.

Red Sox 2009 Draft Board

Red Sox Draft Coverage

MLB.com Draft Tracker

Loop named Carolina League All-Star

With a 2.61 ERA, 6 saves, and 40 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched this season, Derrick Loop has earned the right to represent the Salem Red Sox as a Carolina League All-Star. A former Independent League standout, Loop will be Salem's only representative on the team when the Carolina League All-Stars play the California League All-Stars on June 23 in Lake Elsinore, California. Loop was originally selected in the 23rd round of the 2006 draft by the Indians but was released and wound up pitching with Chico of the Golden Baseball League before signing with the Red Sox in June, 2008. Since joining the organization, the big lefty owns a record of 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 91.1 innings.

Red Sox Draft Preview: Potential Day One Picks

In the seventh and final installment of our Red Sox Draft Preview, we bring you a list of potential day one draft picks for the Red Sox. Boston has three picks on day one, which gets underway tonight at 6:00 pm ET. The Sox will pick at #28 (first round), #77 (second round), and #107 (third round). If you’ve enjoyed our draft preview, follow along with our live draft up-to-the-minute coverage starting tonight, which will include a podcast immediately following the third round, as well as a preview of day two later tonight. For now, here are some ideas on players that may spark Theo Epstein’s and Jason McLeod’s interests on day one.

1st # refers to overall PG Crosschecker draft ranking, June 5, 2009
2nd # refers to overall Baseball America draft ranking, May 27, 2009

First Round (#28)

Matt Hobgood (#25/#40)
RHP, Norco HS (CA). Committed to CS-Fullerton.
Mid-90s fastball with solid breaking ball and changeup. In addition to projection, he’s put up spectacular numbers in 2009 (9-0, 0.38 ERA, 84 strikeouts in 55 innings).

James Paxton (#26/#37)
LHP, Kentucky (Junior).
Fastball tops out at 97 mph. Excellent control and movement. Decent curveball with a passable changeup. Solid mechanics. Inconsistent.

Everett Williams (#27/#19)
OF, McCallum HS (TX). Committed to Texas.
Athletic centerfielder with excellent bat speed. High power potential, minimal present power. Good baseball instincts. Top line speed.

AJ Pollock (#28/#23)
OF, Notre Dame (Junior).
Another athletic centerfielder, Pollock makes outstanding contact and has gap power. Excellent speed. Advanced approach at the plate. Average arm.

Tony Sanchez (#29/#32)
Catcher, Boston College (Junior).
Excellent defensive skills all around - solid glove, arm, and game calling ability. Tough demeanor. Offensively, he makes good contact and has average to above average power and plate patience.

Max Stassi (#31/#30)
Catcher, Yuba City HS (CA). Committed to UCLA.
All around offensive and defensive skills coupled with top flight athleticism, intelligence, instincts, and leadership ability. However, his arm is average and he can struggle with advanced off-speed stuff.

David Renfroe (#33/#67)
SS/RHP, South Panola HS (MS). Committed to Mississippi.
Two-way player prefers being a position player. As a pitcher, he has a 94 mph fastball, and a very good but inconsistent slider. Offensively, he makes excellent contact, projects as a .300 hitter at the major league level with some decent power potential. Superior athlete also is an outstanding football player.

Chad James (#35/#24)
LHP, Yukon HS (OK). Committed to Oklahoma State.
Great pitcher’s frame at 6-4, 200. Smooth delivery, excellent command. Fastball sits between 91-93 mph, gets up to 95 mph. He also utilizes a really nice curveball and a plus changeup. Mixes in all three pitches well.

Garrett Gould (#37/#25)
RHP, Maize HS (KS). Committed to Wichita State.
Fastball goes 90-94 mph. Low 80s curveball with plus potential. Decent changeup. Probably needs some tweaks to his mechanics.

Signability Players
On Friday we brought you a report on seven first round talents that may slip due to signability concerns. Of those seven, word is that Boston would be interested in Tyler Matzek (#9/#8) and Jacob Turner (#13/#5), but not the others. But don’t believe everything you hear. There are also some recent rumors that independent league RHP Aaron Crow (#8/#7) could slip to the end of the first round, or that the Sox could go after injured catcher Luke Bailey (#190/#96) in later rounds.

Second Round (#77)

Slade Heathcoat (#48/#72)
OF, Texas HS (TX). Committed to LSU.
Toolsy rightfielder with plus arm, speed, and power. Average to above average contact and defensive skills. History of injury problems. He was suspended for two weeks for academic reasons in 2009. He’s got a ton of helium right now, and likely won’t slip to 77, but it’s not out of the question if injury or character concerns persist.

Reymond Fuentes (#52/#54)
OF, Fernando Callejo HS (PR)
Speedy centerfielder draws comparisons to Johnny Damon. Fuentes is often projected as a first round pick, and has been tabbed by some to go to in the teens or twenties, possibly even to Boston at 28. A few pro scouting services slate him as a supplemental pick or a second rounder. Almost certainly won’t last until #77, but if by chance he does, Boston would gladly scoop him up.

Chris Dominguez (#64/#85)
3B, Louisville (Junior).
Big East Player of the Year hit .343 with 23 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 2009. He has all the tools, but struggles with consistency.

Ben Tootle (#78/#79)
RHP, Jacksonville State (Junior).
97-98 mph fastball with little movement. Decent slider and sub-par changeup. Missed time in early 2009 due to illness. He has come back slow, decreasing his draft stock.

Mike Belfiore (#94/#89)
RHP, Boston College (Junior)
Reliever with a 90-94 mph fastball, a slider with plus potential, and an average low 80s changeup. The Red Sox like advanced college arms without a lot of mileage, and Belfiore has one right in Boston’s backyard.

Third Round (#107)

Kent Matthes (#83/#63)
OF, Alabama (Senior)
Essentially came out of nowhere to hit .358/.461/.858 with 28 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 2009. Mostly considered a performance pick, Matthes was not drafted after high school or after his junior year at Alabama. However, he does show some plus tools, including his arm strength and raw power, as well as above average all-around defensive skills. The Sox likely won’t target him in the second, but might take a look at Matthes if he’s still around at 107.

Justin Marks (#87/#83)
LHP, Louisville (Junior)
Former Sox pick in 2006. Louisville’s career leader in strikeouts and wins. Advanced four-pitch lefty.

Robert Stock (#91/#118)
RHP/C, USC (Junior)
Only 19 as a junior. Once considered a big time prospect as a catcher, many scouts have shifted their attention to Stock’s pitching. Low 90s fastball coupled with a potentially plus changeup.

D.J. LeMahieu (#95/#73)
SS, LSU (Sophomore)
Tall, polished shortstop may project as a 3B down the line. Gap power, needs to add strength if he does move to third. The fact that he’s a draft eligible sophomore means extra leverage in negotiations, so he could slip.

Kendal Volz (#113/#92)
RHP, Baylor (Junior).
Mid 90s fastball, solid low 80s slider, good changeup. Former closer for Team USA drawing attention as a starter in 2009.

Weiland goes 6 strong innings in Salem loss

6/9 Cup of Coffee: On Monday, Durham edged Pawtucket 3-2. Enrique Gonzalez pitched 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He had 3 strikeouts. Billy Traber tossed 3.1 scoreless frames giving up 1 hit. He fanned 2. Jose Vaquedano faced 2 hitters and retired them both striking out 1 of them. Chris Carter went 3 for 4.

The Portland Sea Dogs were not scheduled to play on Monday.

Wilmington blanked Salem 1-0. Kyle Weiland threw 6 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 3. Jason Rice pitched a clean inning recording a strikeout. Derrick Loop threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit and a walk. He fanned 1. Jason Place went 2 for 3.

Bowling Green downed Greenville 6-1. Brock Huntzinger went 5 innings giving up 6 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He had 6 strikeouts. Felix Ventura threw 3 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He had 2 strikeouts. The Drive had only 1 hit in the game, a home run by Kade Keowen who went 1 for 4 in the game.

Player of the Night: Kyle Weiland who threw 6 innings allowing 1 run and 2 hits

Five Sox prospects named Sally League All Stars

RHP Casey Kelly, LHP Armando Zerpa, C Tim Federowicz, OF David Mailman and 1B Anthony Rizzo have all been named South Atlantic League All Stars, representing the Southern Division. Greenville's Kevin Boles will manage the Southern Division squad and Bob Kipper and Billy McMillon will also represent the Drive as coaches. The game is scheduled to be played June 23 in Charleston, West Virginia.

Pitcher of the Week, June 1-7: Casey Kelly

Salem RHP Casey Kelly only made one start last week, but he made the most of it pitching six perfect innings and striking out six opposing batters at Frederick (Orioles) June 5, and was rewarded by the SoxProspects.com community for his near-perfect game with Pitcher of the Week honors for June 1-7. Kelly was removed from the scoreless game due to pitch count and did not factor in the decision. In two games with the Drive since being promted May 28, Kelly, 19, is 0-1 2.31 earned run average, striking out 10 while issuing only one walk over 11.2 innings pitched and holding opposing batters to a .214 average. Kelly was also named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week for the same time period. He is the 4th rated prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Player of the Week, June 1-7: David Mailman

In six games last week Greenville OF David Mailman swung the bat to the tune of a .346/.393/.731 line with two triples and two home runs over 26 at-bats (nine hits), scoring eight runs while batting in six and taking SoxProspects.com Player of the Week honors for June 1-7. The two home runs were his first of the year. After a slow start, Mailman, 20, is having a breakout season batting .303/.367/.472 with two home runs, 10 doubles and seven triples in 178 at-bats (54 hits) over 49 games, working 17 walks versus 23 strike outs and was this week named a South Atlantic League All Star. He is the 19th rated prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Red Sox Draft Preview: Mock Draft

In part six of our Red Sox Draft Preview, we bring you a first round mock draft, courtesy of SoxProspects.com moderator amfox1. Keep an eye on whether small market teams at the top of the draft go for the top-tier signability guys, or if they opt for the next-tier talent that can be had at lesser bonuses. Some of the tough signs could slip to the late twenties if they don't go early. There are also rumors that some of the easier-to-sign players have pre-draft deals in place. At this point, we're just trying our best to discern between the substantive reports and the smokescreen rumors.

1. Washington - Steven Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State

2. Seattle - Dustin Ackley, OF, North Carolina

3. San Diego - Donovan Tate, OF, Cartersville HS (GA)

4. Pittsburgh - Aaron Crow, RHP, Ft. Worth Cats

5. Baltimore - Zack Wheeler, RHP, East Paulding HS (GA)

6. San Francisco - Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA)

7. Atlanta - Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt

8. Cincinnati - Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State

9. Detroit - Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian (MO)

10. Washington - Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State

11. Colorado - Alex White, RHP, North Carolina

12. Kansas City - Grant Green, SS, USC

13. Oakland - Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State

14. Texas - Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS (TX)

15. Cleveland - Eric Arnett, RHP, Indiana

16. Arizona - Bobby Borchering, 3B, Bishop Verot HS (FL)

17. Arizona - Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints

18. Florida - Drew Storen, RHP, Stanford

19. St. Louis - Rex Brothers, LHP, Lipscomb

20. Toronto - Everett Williams, OF, McCallum HS (TX)

21. Houston - Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU

22. Minnesota - Matt Hobgood, RHP, Norco HS (CA)

23. Chicago (AL) - Kyle Gibson, RHP, Missouri

24. Los Angeles (AL) - Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (TX)

25. Los Angeles (AL) - Mike Trout, OF, Millville HS (NJ)

26. Milwaukee - AJ Pollock, OF, Notre Dame

27. Seattle - Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College

28. Boston - Max Stassi, C, Yuba City HS (CA)

29. New York (AL) - Brett Jackson, OF, California

30. Tampa Bay - Jiovanni Mier, SS, Bonita HS (CA)

31. Chicago (NL) - Reymond Fuentes, OF, Callego HS (PR)

32. Colorado - Chad James, LHP, Yukon HS (OK)

Tazawa goes six strong innings in Sea Dog win

6/8 Cup of Coffee: Sunday's action saw Durham edge Pawtucket 5-4. Michael Bowden started and went 6 innings allowing 1 run on 6 hits and a walk. He had 3 strikeouts. Randor Bierd threw 1.1 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He fanned 1. Hunter Jones took the loss giving up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk in an inning of work. Marcus McBeth retired the only 2 hitters he faced. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Portland trounced Trenton 10-3. Junichi Tazawa threw 6 innings giving up a run on 4 hits and 2 walks. He fanned 6. Richie Lentz went 1.2 frames allowing 2 runs on a hit and a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Blake Maxwell tossed 1.1 clean innings recording 1 strikeout. Bubba Bell went 2 for 5 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Mark Wagner and Lars Anderson each went 2 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI. Jorge Jimenez went 2 for 5 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Ryan Khoury went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Frederick downed Salem 6-1. Bryan Price threw 4 innings giving up 5 runs on 9 hits. He did not allow a walk and recorded 5 strikeouts. Josh Papelbon pitched 4 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk. He struck out 2. The Salem offense managed just 4 hits spread among 4 different players.

Greenville defeated Lexington 4-1. Stolmy Pimentel gave up 1 run on 4 hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. He fanned 6. Armando Zerpa tossed 2.2 scoreless frames allowing 1 hit. He had 2 strikeouts. Lance McClain pitched a scoreless 9th inning allowing 1 hit. He struck out 2. David Mailman went 2 for 5 and scored a run. Kade Keowen went 2 for 3. Zach Gentile went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Player of the Night: Junichi Tazawa who earned his seventh win for the Sea Dogs allowing 1 run over 6 innings.

Bates promoted to Pawtucket, Reddick back from DL

Sometimes a hot start simply cannot be ignored. After posting a .370/.456/.602 line in 108 at-bats during the month of May and continuing that hot streak into June, Kevin Thomas of the Portland Press Herald is reporting that Aaron Bates has been promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. Bates, who earned SoxProspects.com Player of the Month honors for his May performance, has dominated Eastern League pitchers to the tune of .340/.405./.505 on the season, including 13 doubles, 7 home runs, 39 RBI, and 41 runs scored. A third-round pick by the Red Sox in the 2006 draft out of North Carolina State, Bates has hit a combined .301/.400/.486 with 53 home runs and 257 RBI in his three plus seasons in the organization. The big righthanded hitter began his professional career as a first baseman before transitioning to left field to begin this season.

Replacing Bates on the Portland roster will be outfielder Josh Reddick, who got off to a good .288/.358/.644 start to the season before going on the disabled list on May 6 with an injured oblique. Reddick had homered in his first four games to start the season and had accumulated 6 total home runs before the injury. The lefthanded hitter is currently the organization's sixth ranked prospect according to SoxProspects.com.

Hagadone makes first start of year in Drive win

6/7 Cup of Coffee: Saturday saw Pawtucket edge Durham 2-1 behind the 6 inning start of John Smoltz who allowed 1 run on 1 hit and 2 base on balls. He struck out 3. Rocky Cherry threw 1.1 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. Billy Traber faced 2 hitters and walked them both. Fernando Cabrera pitched the final 1.2 frames and allowed 2 hits. He fanned 3. Chip Ambres went 2 for 3 with a home run.

Portland downed Trenton 4-3. Felix Doubront started and went 5 innings giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk. He had 5 strikeouts. Chris Province pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. Andrew Dobies threw a scoreless inning allowing a hit. TJ Large retired all 3 hitters he faced in the 9th striking out 1 of them. Lars Anderson went 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI.

Frederick defeated Salem 8-3. David McKae went 3.2 innings giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. He did not walk a batter while striking out 2. Jose Capellan pitched 1.2 frames allowing 2 runs on a hit and 6 walks. He had a strikeout. Ryne Miller pitched the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a run. He gave up 1 hit and fanned 2. Kris Negron went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Greenville hammered Lexington 9-1. Nick Hagadone made his first start since his surgery last year and went 1.2 innings. He did not allow a run on a hit and a walk. He struck out 2. He threw 35 pitches. Caleb Clay threw 4.1 scoreless innings allowing 3 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Leandro Marin tossed 2 scoreless innings giving up a hit and a walk. Mitch Herold pitched the final inning and gave up a run on 2 hits. David Mailman went 2 for 3 and scored 3 times. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 5 and raised his batting average to .320. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 5 with a home run and 5 RBI. He has 31 RBIs for the season so far. Kade Keowen went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Anthony Rizzo who had 2 hits including a home run and 5 RBI

Kelly throws 6 perfect innings in 2nd Salem start

6/6 Cup of Coffee: On Friday, the Pawtucket/Louisville game was postponed due to rain.

Portland gave up 4 runs to Trenton in the top of the ninth to trail 5-0 going into the bottom of the inning. The Sea Dogs scored 3 times in their half of the 9th but ended up with a 5-3 loss. Jarod Plummer threw 6 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4. Dustin Richardson tossed 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. Chad Rhoades retired only 1 hitter in the 9th but was charged with 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Blake Maxwell got the last 2 outs but gave up a walk. Bubba Bell went 2 for 4. Lars Anderson went 2 for 3 and scored a run. Argenis Diaz went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Salem took both games of a doubleheader against Frederick. They took the first contest 5-1. Eammon Portice pitched 5 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits. He did not allow a walk and had 7 strikeouts. Robert Coello tossed 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He fanned 3. Zach Borowiak went 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored. Mike Jones went 1 for 3 with a home run and 3 RBI. Salem took the second game 5-0 in 10 innings. Casey Kelly was perfect for 6 innings recording 6 strikeouts. Derrick Loop threw 3 scoreless innings allowing a hit and 2 base on balls. He struck out 4. Kyle Fernandes pitched a scoreless 10th allowing 1 hit. He fanned 2. Mike Jones went 2 for 5 and scored a run. Jason Place went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Luis Exposito went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. William Vasquez went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI.

Lexington edged Greenville 2-1 in 10 innings. Stephen Fife threw 5 perfect innings recording 7 strikeouts. Michael Lee pitched 4.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. He had a strikeout. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 4. Will Middlebrooks went 1 for 3 with a home run.

Player of the Night: Casey Kelly who threw 6 perfect innings recording 6 strikeouts along the way

Reviewing the first two months of the 2009 season

The first two months of the 2009 season are in the books, and a lot has happened in that time. The following is an overview of the Red Sox minor league system through the first two months of the season written by SoxProspects.com Moderator amfox1. Rankings (in parentheses) are from the SoxProspects.com Top 40 Prospect List as of March 20, 2009.

The Highlights:

The good news starts with pitchers, including the return to dominance of post-prospect Clay Buchholz, the quick start of Michael Bowden (2) in Triple-A, the ease with which Daniel Bard (3) crushed International League hitters and transitioned into the Red Sox bullpen. Also, 19-year-old Casey Kelly (5) and 22-year-old Bryan Price (17), the Red Sox's first two picks in the 2008 draft, have handled Low-A competition, and Junichi Tazawa (7) and 21-year-old Felix Doubront (19) have handled Double-A equally well. Historically, when pitchers at the upper levels of the organization have had succcess, the organization as a whole has been successful.

On the hitting side, 21-year-old Ryan Kalish (10) blew through High-A and, while he has struggled initially at Double-A, has shown his significant potential. 20-year-old David Mailman (27) shook off a slow start and has positioned himself for a quick promotion to Salem. Perhaps the most surprising story of the first third of the season has been the blazing start for former third-round pick Aaron Bates, who is in the top five in many of the Eastern League's hitting categories and has also had to adjust to life in the outfield.

Two catching prospects have sought to convince us that their SoxProspects.com rankings were too low - Mark Wagner (30) has reestablished himself as the potential catcher of the future with his start and is due for a promotion to Triple-A, and Tim Federowicz (32) looks to be moving up to Salem in the very near future after showing that he was too advanced for Low-A. This would allow Ryan Lavarnway (33) to showcase his hitting potential full-time in Greenville and will likely push 22 year old Luis Exposito (12), who has come on strong of late in Salem, to Double-A.

The Disappointments:

Expectations were high for Lars Anderson (1) and he got off to a good start in April, but May was a poor month for him (.194/.318/.376) and some scouts are now beginning to bring up some of his negative attributes (stiff, unathletic, cannot hit lefties, etc.) with more frequency. Lars has picked it up, but the luster may be starting to fade just a bit.

While we have highlighted some of the good performances from Greenville, there have been others who have not started as well as we had hoped. These include 18-year-old Michael Almanzar (6), who remains young for his level but has shown little plate discipline, 19-year-old Oscar Tejeda (16), whose overall stats have been similar to those he put up last year but who has been picking it up recently after a slow start, and 19-year-old Pete Hissey (24), who recently went through a 2-for-32 stretch at the plate as he adjusts to the grind of pro baseball. In Salem, 20-year-old Che-Hsuan Lin (11) may have suffered a post-WBC hangover, was injured in April and has been very streaky since coming back to the lineup.

On the pitching side, Kyle Weiland (14) started off with a bunch of shaky starts in High-A but has recently shown signs of improvement. Kris Johnson (29) had two scoreless starts in April but has not had one since, and he has been battered to the tune of a .304 BAA.

The Injured:

In any system, there will always be a number of prospects who are injured, and the Red Sox are no exception this year.

Josh Reddick (4) was off to a blazing start in Double-A before he hurt his oblique at the end of April. He should be back next week and, if he picks up where he left off, may not be long for Portland.

Nick Hagadone (8) has been rehabbing and will debut in Greenville this weekend. He will only pitch 3-4 inning stints for the remainder of the year but, even so, could find himself as high as Portland by the end of the season. Stephen Fife (21) and Mike Lee, two of the Red Sox's top ten 2008 draft picks, just made it to Greenville after being injured to start the season.

Three highly rated hitters have also missed the beginning of the season. Ryan Westmoreland (9), last year's fifth round draft pick, expected to start the season in Greenville, but injuries have sidelined him until short-season play begins. Yamaico Navarro (13) played in one game for Salem before having his hamate bone removed. He should be back later in June. Zach Daeges (20) injured his ankle during spring training and it still has not fully healed. His timetable for return is unknown but thus far it has been a lost year for him. Will Middlebrooks (22) joined Greenville four weeks into the season and, after a rough start, appears to be rounding into form.

This report was written by SoxProspects.com Moderator amfox1.

Red Sox Draft Preview: Signability Players

In the fifth installment of the Red Sox Draft Preview, we bring you seven first round talents that could slip in the draft due to signability concerns. As most fans know, there is no requisite slotting system in Major League Baseball for draft picks, so teams are free to award signing bonuses to their draftees as the market allows. Another unique aspect of the baseball draft is that high school senior draftees typically have a lot of leverage in signing bonus negotiations, as they can easily pass on any bonus offered and head off to college or junior college in the hopes of getting a bigger bonus when they are eligible for the draft (typically the following season for junior college players or after junior year for college players). Similarly, college juniors are also free to pass on signing on with the team that drafts them, as they can simply head back to school for their senior college season. However, a significant portion of college juniors do end up signing, for the fear that they will have minimal leverage after their senior season. In addition, some players may apply other types of leverage during signing negotiations, such as potential careers or scholarships in other sports. For example, Red Sox 2008 first round pick Casey Kelly had a football scholarship to Tennessee as a quarterback, and undoubtedly used that fact in negotiations with the team. Another example of leverage is hiring Scott Boras as an agent/advisor - Boras has had several clients refuse to sign, only to play independent baseball for a year in the hopes of garnering a larger bonus in the following draft cycle. First round talents who are considered "tough signs" or "signability" players can occasionally fall to the end of or out of the first round, and often these players who slip get snatched up by big market clubs such as the Yankees or the Red Sox. Other signability players who are considered top 200 talents may even slip to the middle and later rounds ofthe draft. Here are the top seven tough-signs of the 2009 draft that could slide in the draft due to those signability concerns:

Donovan Tate
OF, Cartersville HS (GA). Committed to North Carolina.
Athletic five-tool outfielder draws comparisons to BJ Upton. All-around offensive game with big time power potential. Fast on the basepaths and rangy in the outfield. Good glove with a cannon arm. He's considered a top five overall player in the draft and the top high school position prospect, but could slip to the end of the first round or even into later rounds due to his bonus demands. He's a Scott Boras client reportedly seeking a $6-million signing bonus. Tate has a scholarship to play both football and baseball at North Carolina, and actually could have a future in the NFL, meaning he has the leverage to make that type of demand.

Matthew Purke
LHP, Klein HS (TX). Committed to Texas Christian.
Top prep lefty throws a 90-94 mph fastball with great movement, an above average changeup, and a plus breaking ball. Should add size to his 6-3, 170 pound frame. Considered a top ten talent, could go there, but if he gets past Texas at 14, he may be available when Boston picks at 28. Purke's bonus demands could reach $5-million. However, Purke appears to be the type of player that wants to get his pro career going sooner rather than later, and may ultimately sign for south of that mark - maybe $3-million to $4-million.

Grant Green
SS, USC (Junior)
Tall and athletic shortstop with five-tool potential has drawn comparisons to Troy Tulowitzki. Has been projected as one of the top five picks of the 2009 Draft since last summer. Nice range and arm, but has shown struggles with his glove (18 errors in 54 games in 2009). Offensively, he's got a great all-around game, and demonstrated his ability to hit with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League, where he was named the CCBL's top prospect in 2008. Hit .374/.435/.569 after a slow start for Southern Cal this year. Green could go as high as three or could slip all the way to the end of the first round. There hasn't been a lot of press regarding what Green's exact bonus demands will be, but they'd likely be in the $5-million range, which would be typical for a top five college pick.

Tyler Matzek
LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA). Committed to Oregon.
Matzek and Purke are considered to be the top lefty prep arms in the draft. 90-95 mph fastball, average to above average mid-70s curveball, strong low 80s slider, and a changeup that is in the early stages of development. Has been criticized for a lack of drive. Of the players listed here, he is probably the least likely to slip due to signability, and has been rumored to go to multiple teams in the top ten - but it's not out of the question that he slips to the teens when his bonus demands come out. There haven't been many reports of what those demands will be, but as he's considered to be a similar prospect to Purke, his advisor could be using Purke's demands as a measuring stick.

Jacob Turner
RHP, Westminster Christian (NC). Committed to North Carolina.
Large-framed righty with a projectable frame and a live arm. Should add velocity to his 90-94 mph fastball, which already has plus movement. Slider and changeup are average. Inconsistent command. Scouts mostly look at Turner for his projection over and above his present stuff. Scott Boras client. Looking for a $7-million bonus, which would equal the highest bonus ever given to a high school player.

Max Stassi
Catcher, Yuba City HS (CA). Committed to UCLA.
Stassi has the whole package - all around offensive and defensive skills coupled with top flight athleticism, intelligence, instincts, and leadership ability. As for weaknesses, his arm is only average and he can struggle with advanced off-speed stuff. He'll go in the first round at some point, but has been projected to go as high as 12 and as low as 32. There have been rumors that Stassi is floating top first round bonus figures to teams, which could be interpreted to be in the ballpark of $3-million.

Luke Bailey
Catcher, Troupe HS (GA). Committed to Auburn.
Powerful catcher with excellent bat speed. Plus power potential. Good baseball instincts and intangibles. Solid defender, good throwing skills, but none of his defensive tools are particularly plus. Lives and dies for baseball. Had Tommy John surgery in May 2009. Originally slated as a mid first round pick, the surgery likely has pushed Bailey out of the first round into a possible second or third round pick. However, word is that he could still receive a $1-million to $1.5-million bonus the buy him out of his commitment to Auburn.

Drive rally in 9th to earn win

6/5 Cup of Coffee: Action on Thursday saw Pawtucket down Louisville 7-3. Clay Buchholz ran his record to a perfect 4-0 with a 7 inning performance. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits. He did not give up a walk while striking out 5. Jose Vaquedano threw 2 scoreless, hitless innings of relief allowing 2 walks. Paul McAnulty went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Gil Velazquez went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI. Chris Carter had a home run in 3 at bats and scored 2 runs.

Despite the offense managing just 1 hit in the game, Portland edged Binghamton 3-2 staging a comeback scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. Adam Mills went 6 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits and a walk. He fanned 3. Richie Lentz threw 1.1 innings giving up a run on a hit and a walk. All 4 outs he recorded were by strikeouts. TJ Large pitched 1.2 scoreless innings giving up 2 hits. He had 2 strikeouts. Mark Wagner had the only hit driving in 2 runs.

The Salem/Frederick game was postponed due to rain.

Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the 9th inning, Greenville staged a come from behind 5-3 win over Asheville on David Mailman's walkoff grand slam home run. He went 1 for 5 in the game. Hunter Strickland threw 5.2 innings allowing 3 runs on 6 hits. He struck out 5. Fabian Williamson pitched 3.1 perfect innings of relief recording 5 strikeouts. Ryan Dent went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Fabian Williamson who threw 3.1 perfect innings of relief allowing the Drive the opportunity to stage a come from behind win

Hagadone set to return Saturday

Almost a year after having Tommy John surgery, highly touted lefthander Nick Hagadone is now scheduled to make his first start of 2009 for the Greenville Drive on Saturday on the road against Lexington, the Low-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Hagadone, who had been rehabilitating in extended spring training, last appeared in a game on April 16, 2008 when he threw 2.1 innings against Greensboro before suffering the injury that led to his surgery. He had yet to give up a run in 10 innings at the time of the injury and owns a career ERA of 1.31 in 34.1 minor league innings dating back to his first professional appearance in 2007 with the Lowell Spinners. The 55th overall selection and the first by the Red Sox in the 2007 draft, Hagadone is currently the eighth ranked prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Red Sox Draft Preview Podcast

In our fourth installment of the Red Sox Draft Preview, we bring you a podcast previewing Boston's potential targets in the upcoming June 9th draft. Mike Andrews, Ian Theodoridis, and Chris Mellen discuss the new three-day prime-time draft format, the Red Sox draft strategy, players scouted by the Sox staff, and players that the Sox might be looking to select in the early rounds. Special guest expert Pat Hickey also joins in to talk about potential draftees as well as high school players that may slip due to signability concerns. If you've never listened to a podcast before, we urge you to give this one a chance, it's as simple as downloading an mp3 and playing it back on your computer or iPod. Hope you enjoy!

The Links

Full Link
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Produced by Chris Hatfield

The Ladder- 6.4.09

David Mailman

The Line: After a slow start in the month of April, Mailman caught fire in May for the Greenville Drive, posting a .375/.423/.545 line good for an OPS of .968 over 88 at-bats. Driving the ball more frequently, he hit 12 extra-base hits in the month after tallying only 3 in April. Mailman increased his rate of contact and struck out only 7 times in the stretch while walking 8 times, demonstrating an improvement in his patience and pitch recognition at the plate. Over his last 10 games, the left-handed outfielder has gone 15 for 40 with 5 extra-base hits, including his first home run of the season against Ashville on June 2. Riding a 9-game hitting streak, he’s had 5 multi-hit games in that stretch, which included 3 straight games to close out the month of May. Mailman has hit right-handed pitching to a tune of .313 on the season and has pushed his overall OPS up to .826 on the year with his strong May performance.

The View: The sweet-swinging lefty looked solid in Spring Training this season and much more comfortable at the plate, a far cry from his first spring in professional baseball where he was feeling things out. After starting slowly, he has found that level of comfort again and begun to drive the ball with much more authority. Billed as a hitter who had a good feel for the strike zone at an early age when drafted, Mailman struggled a bit early with Class-A Greenville Drive last season before turning things on in the second half of the season. Back with the Drive this season, he’s ramped up to speed a bit quicker and has begun a push to the next level, one that he should see at some point this summer with sustained success in the month of June. Of some concern is how Mailman struggles against left-handed pitching, and this trend will be something to continue to monitor as the season goes on. He has not been able to hang in well against them, and there has been a large drop-off in his comfort level during his at-bats against southpaws. Improvement in this area is a must as he progresses to higher levels within the Red Sox organization. His home run stroke has been a bit behind this season, but the extra-base power has been there and the contact rates have been on the way up. After being a bit overmatched in 2008, Mailman has made some adjustments in his game and taken a step forward this year.

Mark Wagner

The Line: Wagner has gotten off to a strong start in 2009 for the Portland Sea Dogs despite suffering a hamstring strain running the bases back in April. Through 96 at-bats he’s posted a .313/.432/.532 line, good for an OPS of .963, while walking 18 times and only striking out 16 times thus far. Wagner’s heated up since his return from the disabled list and is 15 for his last 42 with 7 extra-base hits during his last 10 games. On May 25, he tallied 3 hits against Connecticut, hitting to all fields in the game. Wagner followed it up with another 3-hit game on June 1 against Binghamton in which he also drove in 2 runs. His patience at the plate this season has been a noticeable improvement after only walking 38 times in 94 games last season with the Sea Dogs. Wagner has hung in tough against right-handed pitching on the season, stroking 2 of his 3 home runs against righties and hitting .303 on the season against them.

The View: Wagner struggled for much of 2008 and seemed to plateau a bit. His offensive game took a step back and there were reports that his defensive game was not as advanced as previously thought. Wagner has been working counts extremely well and has been making pitchers work extremely hard to get him out. His ability to stay back on an off-speed pitch has jumped out this season, and he has been driving the balls he has attacked, mostly working in favorable counts. Behind the dish Wagner has been strong defensively. He is still prone to some lapses in concentration, which sometimes result in a passed ball or pitch he could have blocked, but these instances have been fewer and further between this season than in seasons past. Wagner has looked like a leader on the field and embraced the role of being a team leader this season. He has looked comfortable and confident, with these traits driving his performance. In the past, he has tended to fade down the stretch due to the wear and tear of being an everyday catcher. A strong 125-150 at-bats over the course of the next 6 weeks or so will lend a big clue to whether Wagner can buck the trend this season, while in the process putting him in contention to make the jump to the next level of the organization.

Trending Up

Stephen Fife made his 2009 season debut with the Greenville Drive on May 30, firing 4 innings of 1-hit baseball. Fife also walked 1 batter, struck out 1 batter, and gave up an unearned run. He stayed back in Florida when the season began due to a shoulder injury. Look for Fife to control hitters at this level with his sinking fastball and hard breaking curveball…Jason Rice continues to strike hitters out at an excellent clip down in Salem. He’s struck out 39 batters in 27 innings on the season, including 20 batters in his last 12 innings of work while walking 5 batters during that span. The hard-throwing righty has limited batters to a .161 average on the season…Tim Federowicz is 16 for his last 42 and continues to make hard contact for the Drive. He finished off his hot month of May with an OPS of .866.

Trending Down

Lars Anderson went 15 for 93 in the month of May with 28 strikeouts. A lot of the strikeouts have been coming on off-speed pitches, and Anderson’s timing at the plate has looked off. He hasn’t been getting good swings on fastballs and has been unable to lay off breaking balls outside of the strike zone…Michael Bowden has given up 11 earned runs in his last 10 1/3 innings after giving up 4 earned runs in his previous 42 innings with Pawtucket. Batters have been getting better swings off of Bowden in his last 3 starts, and he hasn’t lasted more than 4 1/3 innings in any of them…Batters have hit .322 against Stolmy Pimentel on the season, collecting 57 hits in 43 innings. Pimentel has been able to wiggle out of jams, but has also given up 12 unearned runs that skew his numbers a bit. Batters are making a lot of contact against Pimentel and his strikeouts are down as well.

Anderson drives in 3 runs in Sea Dog win

6/4 Cup of Coffee: On Wednesday, Louisville defeated Pawtucket 4-2. Enrique Gonzalez threw 6.1 innings allowing 4 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks. He had 4 strikeouts. Hunter Jones went 0.2 of an inning allowing 2 walks. He had a strikeout. Marcus McBeth threw a scoreless inning giving up a hit and a walk. Javier Lopez pitched a scoreless, hitless 9th allowing a walk. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 5. Travis Denker went 2 for 5 with a RBI. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Portland edged Binghamton 5-4. Ryne Lawson threw 6 inings allowing 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 base on balls. He fanned 1. Chris Province pitched 2 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. He had a strikeout. Chad Rhoades pitched the final inning giving up a run on 2 hits and a walk. He struck out 1. Bubba Bell went 3 for 3 and scored a run. Jorge Jimenez went 2 for 5. Aaron Bates went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored. He raised his batting average to .351. Lars Anderson had 4 hits in 5 at bats and drove in 3. Ryan Kalish went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI.

Potomac edged Salem 2-1. Kyle Weiland went 5 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 5. Jason Rice threw 1.2 frames giving up 2 runs on a hit and 5 walks. He fanned 1. Josh Papelbon pitched 2.1 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits. He struck out 3. Jason Place went 2 for 4 with a RBI.

Greenville downed Asheville 7-4. Brock Huntzinger went 6 innings giving up a run on 3 hits. He struck out 5. Armando Zerpa pitched 2 clean innings fanning 4. Felix Ventura went 0.2 of an inning allowing 3 runs on 3 hits. Lance McClain retired the only hitter he faced to end the game. David Mailman went 2 for 5 and scored twice. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 3 and drove in 2 runs. Anthony Rizzo went 2 for 4 with a RBI. Will Middlebrooks went 2 for 4 and scored 2 runs. Pete Hissey went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Lars Anderson who went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI

Red Sox Draft Preview: Players Linked to the Sox

The third installment of SoxProspects.com’s Red Sox Draft Preview focuses on players that have been publicly linked to the Sox, local New England products that may be selected early in the draft, and former Sox draftees that Boston may look to draft for a second time. Keep in mind that the fourth and seventh installments of the draft preview will focus on potential day one picks for the Sox, so we’ll only briefly touch on those players here.

Players linked to the Sox

Special thanks to staff members Ian Theodoridis and Adam F., as well as community members Pat Hickey and Chris Paddock for keeping tabs on players publicly linked to the Sox – without their contributions this section would be virtually barren. Look for Ian and Pat to take part in the Draft Preview Podcast, which will be recorded and published tonight. Note that this list simply pulls together a select few prior media reports that reported that the Sox were following these players. By no means is this meant to be anything remotely close to resembling a list of Boston’s top targets in these rounds. However, keep in mind that we maintained a similar list last season and the Sox ended up selecting several of the listed players in different phases of the draft.

Potential First Round Picks
● Max Stassi, C, Yuba City HS (CA) Highly-regarded prep catcher with superb tools
● David Renfroe, RHP, South Panola (MS) 90-92 mph fastball, command of 3 pitches
● Everett Williams, OF, McCallum HS (TX) Potential five tool player
● Reymond Fuentes, OF, Fernando Callejo HS (PR) Extremely athletic, top line speed, may not last until Sox second pick


Potential Picks in Rounds 3-10
● Robbie Erlin, LHP, Scotts Valley (CA) Smallish lefty with high 80s fastball and strong secondary stuff
● Seth Schwindenhammer, OF, Limestone HS (Ill.) Big left-handed bat with high power potential
● Scott Firth, RHP, Stevenson (Ill.) High 80s fastball with three secondary pitches, committed to Clemson
● Christian Walker, 3B/C, Kennedy-Kenrick (PA) Big power bat committed to South Carolina

Potential Late Round Picks
● Zach Quate, RHP, Appalachian State (NC) Closer with 91 mph fastball
● Dietrich Enns, LHP, Lincoln Way East (Ill.) Interesting mid-80s cutter and a nice slider

New England Products

In this year’s draft, only four players from New England are projected to go in the top ten rounds according to PG Crosschecker:

● Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College - Top collegiate catcher is another possible Sox target
● Mike Belfiore, RP/1B, Boston College - Primarily scouted as a reliever, could go as early as the second round
● Eric Smith, RHP, Rhode Island (from Miflord, CT) Righty with low 90s fastball and nice slider potential should go in the top five rounds
● Daniel Mahoney, RHP, Connecticut (from Brighton, MA) Former Yankee draftee could go in rounds five through ten

In addition to those players, here are some other New Englanders to watch:
● Mike Yastrzemski, OF/LHP, St. John's Prep (MA) Yaz's grandson, expected to go in middle rounds of the draft (11-25). Strong commit to Vanderbilt.
● Derrick Sylvester, RHP, Franklin (NH) Top prep player in New Hampshire, committed to Boston College. Could go in the middle rounds of the draft.
● Regan Flaherty, LHP, Deering (ME) Top prep arm in Maine. Committed to Vanderbilt, also projected as a middle-rounder.
● Justin Albert, LHP, Vermont – Possible late round selection.
● John Tangherlini, RHP, Lincoln (RI) Top Rhode Island high schooler could be a middle rounder
● Matt Carasiti, RHP, Berlin (CT) Potential middle rounder out of Connecticut


Former Red Sox Draftees Eligible for 2009 Draft

On occasion, Boston has re-drafted a former pick that failed to sign after originally being selected by the Sox. The most recent example is Salem right-hander Seth Garrison, who failed to sign after being selected in the 25th round of the 2007 draft (likely due to an arm injury that required Tommy John Surgery), but did sign after the Sox selected him in the 23rd round of the 2008 draft. It’s worth noting that pursuant to Major League Rule 4, prior draftees that did not sign in a previous year must grant permission to any club that wishes to draft them again.

Approximately twenty-two former Red Sox draftees are eligible for the 2009 Draft. We say approximately because Major League Baseball has no formal declaration process for the draft, thus several former draftees who are now out of baseball could technically also be considered eligible. For purposes of this preview, the twenty-two figure includes only players active in some form in collegiate baseball. For a comprehensive list of former Sox draftees eligible for the 2009 draft, check out the 2003-2008 Unsigned Draft Picks page (eligible players highlighted in yellow). Here are the most highly-regarded of those players:

Projected to go in Rounds 4-10
● Justin Marks, LHP, Louisville (37th round, 2006) Louisville’s career leader in strikeouts and wins
● Jake Cowan, RHP, San Jacinto (14th round, 2007) Top 5 JuCo player. 95 MPH fastball with two above average secondary offerings.
● Bryan Morgado, LHP, Tennessee (34th round, 2006) Misses a lot of bats with his mid-90s fastball and excellent slider.

Projected to go in Rounds 10-20
● Ben Whitmore, LHP, Oregon (44th round, 2008) Lefty gets his fastball up to 93 mph.
● Yan Gomes, 3B/C, Barry (39th round, 2008) .405/.480/.775 with 21 home runs in 2009. Primarily considered a 3B/1B in the pros.
● Carmine Giardnina, LHP, Tampa (28th round, 2006) Low 90s fastball. Previously considered a high round candidate, he struggled in 2009 and his stock dropped. Still put up good strikeout numbers.

Pimentel tosses 6 scoreless innings in Drive win

6/3 Cup of Coffee: Tuesday's action saw Louisville blank Pawtucket 6-0. Michael Bowden went 6 innings giving up 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk. He had a strikeout. Randor Bierd threw 3 scoreless innings allowing 2 hits and a walk. He fanned 2. Rocky Cherry pitched 2 scoreless, hitless innings giving up 1 base on balls. He had a strikeout. Jeff Bailey went 2 for 4.

Portland edged Binghamton 3-2. Junichi Tazawa went 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. He did not give up a walk while striking out 3. Richie Lentz threw a scoreless, hitless inning giving up a base on balls. He had a strikeout. TJ Large pitched a scoreless 9th giving up 1 hit. He struck out 2. Aaron Bates went 2 for 4 with a RBI. Mark Wagner went 1 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI.

Potomac edged Salem 9-8 in 12 innings. Bryan Price threw 3 innings giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 5 walks. He fanned 4. Kyle Fernandes tossed 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 5. Andrew Dobies gave up 4 runs on 3 hits and 2 base on balls in 2 innings of work. He fanned 1. Ryne Miller pitched 3 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits. He had 4 strikeouts. Jose Alvarez went 2 innings allowing a run on a hit. He fanned 2. Kris Negron went 3 for 6 and scored 2 runs. Mike Jones went 3 for 6 with a home run, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI.

Greenville downed Asheville 6-1. Stolmy Pimentel threw 6 scoreless frames allowing 6 hits and a walk. He had 5 strikeouts. Caleb Clay pitched 3 innings giving up a run on 5 hits. He struck out 4. David Mailman went 1 for 4 with a home run and 2 RBI. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored. Ryan Lavarnway went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Player of the Night: Stolmy Pimentel who threw 6 scoreless innings in Drive win

Bailey back to Pawtucket as Kotsay returns

The Red Sox have announced that outfielder / first baseman Mark Kotsay has been activated from the disabled list and will be available for Boston's game tonight against the Tigers in Detroit. Kotsay, who hit .303/.293/.333 during his rehab stint with Pawtucket, will be filling the roster spot vacated by Jeff Bailey, who was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket following Sunday's game against the Blue Jays. Bailey hit .188/.309/.391 during his time with Boston, including 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 9 RBI in 23 games. He had originally been called up to Boston on April 22 when Rocco Baldelli went on the disabled list, and retained his roster spot over Chris Carter when Jon Van Every returned from the disabled list on April 24. To make room on the Pawtucket roster for Bailey, Van Every has been placed back on the 7-day disabled list (retroactive to May 30) with a left knee sprain.

Red Sox Draft Preview: Recent History & Strategy

In the first three drafts of the John Henry ownership regime (2002-2004), the Red Sox took a somewhat risk-averse approach to player selection, largely focusing their resources on established college talent. Many of the players selected in the early rounds of those drafts were safe bets, but essentially had replacement-level ceilings. Some became just that - replacement level players at the major league level. As is the case with any draft, some of the top picks didn’t even make it that far. All that being said, the Sox did come away with three all-star level players from those drafts in Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, and Dustin Pedroia, while signing seven other players that eventually made it to the majors. David Chadd, Boston’s Director of Amateur Scouting during that time period, should be proud of those drafts based on those selections alone. However, it seems as if the expectations have been raised in Red Sox Nation, as some fans now expect two or three impact players to come out of every draft. The main reason for the bar raising may be the early successes of the present Director of Amateur Scouting, Jason McLeod.

2005-2008 Drafts

Taking over prior to the 2005 Draft, McLeod shifted Boston’s draft strategy to focus more on high-ceiling prospects, with a willingness to take risks on raw projectable talent and players who were considered to be tough to sign away from their college commitments. With six picks in the top fifty-seven picks of the 2005 Draft, the Sox came away with a wealth of talent in Jacoby Ellsbury, Craig Hansen, Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, and Michael Bowden, all of whom have contributed to the big league club or are on the verge of making contributions in the foreseeable future. In addition, several other 2005 Sox draftees are still demonstrating success in the minors potentially on their way to major league careers, including Portland catcher Mark Wagner and PawSox lefty Hunter Jones, who McLeod signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Meanwhile, a few early-round gambles such as Jonathan Egan and Scott Blue failed to pay off. The team was also unable to come to terms with Pedro Alvarez, then a highly-regarded prep player, now considered to be one of the top prospects in all of baseball after being selected second overall in the 2009 draft by Pittsburgh.

McLeod continued his search for high-ceiling talent in the 2006 Draft, which has already yielded one impact player in the form of Justin Masterson. With seven of the top 100 picks, Boston appeared willing to take a few more risks, and that has come with mixed results. In addition to Masterson, Daniel Bard seems like a safe bet to become an impact player in the short term. Boston’s other top 100 picks – Jason Place, Kris Johnson, Caleb Clay, Aaron Bates, and Bryce Cox – each of whom could be labeled as “project” type of player with lots of potential – have all shown varied levels of success in their respective developmental tracks. However, the Sox seemed to have hit on some players in the later signability rounds, with Lars Anderson, Josh Reddick, and Ryan Kalish all impressing the Sox brass on the way up the ladder to Fenway. All three players are young talents with the potential to be elite big leaguers, but at the same time each have had their respective struggles in Double-A Portland. Boston also missed out on signing first baseman Matt LaPorta, was considered a signability gamble from the get go. Altogether, three years out, the 2006 Draft still has the potential to be a major success.

The 2007 and 2008 Drafts continued the trend of honing in on high-ceiling impact players and the team’s willingness to draft and sign big bonus players in the later rounds. Boston went so far as to spend in excess of $10-million in bonuses on the 2008 Draft, which by all accounts set a draft record. While it’s too early to tell which players will be major league contributors from these drafts, one common thread has been an unfortunate plague of injuries or health concerns for many of the high-bonus players: Nick Hagadone and Drake Britton both required Tommy John Surgery; Austin Bailey and Ryan Westmoreland both suffered partial labrum tears; Anthony Rizzo missed most of the 2008 season with Hodgkin's Lymphoma; Will Middlebrooks missed time in 2009 with a torn hamstring; Derrik Gibson is struggling through an oblique strain in Fort Myers; Tyler Wilson is rehabbing from problems with his heart; Stephen Fife missed time earlier this season with arm fatigue; and Mike Lee missed time this year with complications from the flu. Here’s hoping that luck has turned around for the younger players in the organization, as many of these players are back on the comeback trail.

2009 Draft

Following the recent trends, look for the Sox to zero in on the best high-ceiling talent available in 2009. By “high ceiling”, we mean the type of player that might have a 25% chance at becoming a dominant major leaguer, even if he only would have a 50% chance of ever making it to the majors if selected by some other team (as opposed to a more-established player that might have a 90% chance of making it to the majors someday but only a 10% change of becoming an all star). Expect the team to continue to focus on attributes such as plate discipline, athleticism, and projectability (for power arms and bats), while maintaining focus on intangibles such as character, maturity, and poise – the types of players that the scouting department anticipates that the player development staff can develop into top notch prospects from the ground up.

If history is any indicator, the Sox will simply take the best impact talent available through the first three rounds, as long as those players aren’t labeled as “unsignable.” In rounds four through seven, expect the team to pick a few projectable players that have fallen due to signability, but whom the organization feels confident that they can lock up prior to the August 15 signing deadline, even if that means paying over slot. Conversely, if recent history rings true, the team will seek to draft signable players in rounds eight through twelve in the hopes of getting some well-regarded players to report to Fort Myers right off the bat. The teens and twenties have generally been reserved for drafting high-end prep prospects with signability issues, with a few signable slot players peppered in the mix. Expect the Sox to even take a few players who are considered to be “unsignable” in those rounds. After the 30th round, a large portion of selections are generally made with the goal of filling out the Lowell and GCL rosters or for selecting project players that the Sox hope to follow over the course of the summer.

Altogether, with the success the team has had in recent years between scouting and player development, don't expect the team to make any major changes in this year’s draft strategy. And for those of you asking - no, the Sox are not going to draft players based on the present needs of the major league team, or even the needs that they anticipate might be there three years down the line. But if they were to even slightly lean in that direction, the left side of the infield and catcher are positions where the team appears to lack a true heir apparent right now.

In the upcoming parts of this eight-part draft preview, we'll bring you some ideas on specific players that the Sox may be looking at in the early rounds.

Is there a logjam in the lower tiers of the system that could affect Boston’s draft options?

In short, the answer is no, at least not yet. However, as the Sox have generally utilized the same draft philosophy since 2005, the lower tiers of the minor league system have begun to fill up with high ceiling talent. This seems particularly true this year after the record-setting 2008 Draft, as a number of roster spots on the short-season affiliates are already filled with high bonus players, a few of which arguably could block the path for potential 2009 Draftees.

As most Sox fans know, nearly all draftees, when signed, are initially slated to begin their minor league careers in short-season ball, meaning they will be tabbed to play for the Lowell Spinners or the GCL Red Sox in Boston’s system. Rarely have draftees begun their pro careers at higher levels, except when those players sign late and don’t debut professionally until the following year. Which is good news, because at the next rung of the ladder, the Low-A Greenville Drive, the 25-man roster is presently overflowing with prospects at nearly every position, and management has even been forced into creative roster management tactics to essentially maintain an eight-man starting rotation and ten position players realistically in need of everyday at bats. As such, all 2009 draftees should initially be assigned to Lowell or the GCL, whose seasons both start in late June.

Rosters in the New York-Penn League, where Lowell plays, are limited to 30 players. Traditionally, Lowell’s roster is comprised of about 15 pitchers and 15 position players that have shown advancement beyond the rudimentary instructional levels. As of today, there are approximately 16 pitchers an 13 position players in Extended Spring Training that would presumably be slated for Lowell, and that’s before the draft (click here for a projected roster). On the one hand, a few of these players may be released, and some may not be ready to take the field when the Spinners start up in late June, due to injuries or otherwise. However, there are also several highly-regarded players that are all-but-guaranteed spots on the Lowell roster, including 2-4 starting pitchers, 4-6 bullpen arms, 3 catchers, and 3-5 outfielders. While there may need to be a few cuts between the Draft and Opening Day to open up some roster space, the only spot that a logjam might exist in Lowell right now is the outfield, with Ryan Westmoreland, Wilfred Pichardo, Bryan Peterson, Ronald Bermudez, and Roberto Feliz penciled in to roam the grass when the New York-Penn League season gets underway. It will certainly be interesting if the Sox use a high pick on a college outfielder and assign him to Lowell out of the gate, but by no means is that out of the question.

Comparably, the GCL Red Sox roster is fairly open, with 35 roster spots and only about 17 players that would presumably be slated to start short-season ball in the Gulf Coast League. The only crunch is at the catcher position, with high bonus players Oscar Perez and Carson Blair ready to set up behind the dish for the GCL Sox. There could be a struggle for playing time if the Sox sign a high school catcher and opt to initially assign him to the GCL.

The place to ultimately watch for potential logjams is next year’s Greenville squad (click here for projected 2010 roster). As previously mentioned, the Drive's roster is presently packed to the brim. If an average number of 2009 Lowell and GCL players graduate to Low-A in 2010, aone or two late signees make their debuts in Greenville in 2010, a couple players come back from injuries, and a few of the younger current Drive players need to repeat the level (a distinct possibility), then the Greenville roster crunch could become a real issue to watch in 2010.

Guzman has 3 hits in PawSox win

6/2 Cup of Coffee: On Monday, Pawtucket defeated Indianapolis 4-2. Charlie Zink pitched 5.2 innings giving up 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. Billy Traber threw 2.1 scoreless innings allowing 1 hit. He struck out 2. Fernando Cabrera tossed a clean 9th inning striking out 1 of the 3 hitters he faced. Freddy Guzman went 3 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI. Chris Carter and Travis Denker each went 2 for 4 and scored a run.

Binghampton downed Portland 10-8 in 10 innings. Felix Doubront threw 3.1 frames giving up 4 runs on 1 hit and 4 walks. He fanned 5. Chad Rhoades tossed 1.2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had 2 strikeouts. Justin Hedrick went 1 inning allowing 2 runs on a hit and a walk. He had a strikeout. Dustin Richardson went 1.1 innings giving up a run on 2 walks. He fanned 2. Bryce Cox threw 1.2 innings and was charged with a blown save allowing a run on 3 hits and a walk. Blake Maxwell took the loss allowing 2 runs on 2 hits. Mark Wagner went 3 for 6 with a run scored and 2 RBI. Jon Still went 2 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI. Ryan Khoury went 3 for 5 with a run scored and a RBI.

Potomac defeated Salem 8-6. Seth Garrison threw 3 innings giving up 5 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He fanned 3. Robert Coello pitched 3 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 base on balls. He had a strikeout. Derrick Loop went the final 3 innings allowing a run on 2 hits and a walk. He struck out 5. Kris Negron went 2 for 5 and scored 3 runs.

Greenville was not scheduled to play last night.

Player of the Night: Freddy Guzman who had 3 hits with a run scored and a RBI in PawSox win

Pitcher of the Month, May: Clay Buchholz

In a month in which he won an unprecedented four out of five SoxProspects.com Pitcher of the Week polls (April 27-May 3, May 4-10, May 11-17 and May 25-31) it was inevitable that Pawtucket RHP Clay Buchholz would take Pitcher of the Month Honors for May. Buchholz allowed five earned runs on 29 hits (.142 BAA) over 40.1 innings pitched, earning a 3-0 record in six May starts with a 1.12 earned run average, striking out 40 opposing batters while walking only five. On the season Buchholz is 3-0 with a 1.47 earned run average in 55 innings pitched over nine starts, striking out 52 and walking 12, while holding opposing batters to a .149 average. He was twice named International League Pitcher of the Week in May, for April 27-May 3 (he made a start May 3) and May 25-31.

Player of the Month, May: Aaron Bates

Portland OF Aaron Bates swung a hot bat in May, posting a .370/.456/.602 line in 108 at-bats (40 hits) over 28 games, belting six home runs and seven doubles, and was named SoxProspects.com (position) Player of the Month. Bates power output for May was especially impressive in light of the fact that he hit 11 homers in all of 2008. On the season Bates is batting .344/.413/.525 with seven home runs and twelve doubles in 183 at-bats (63 hits) over 46 games, scoring and batting in 36 runs respectively. He was also voted SoxProspects.com Player of the Week for the week of May 25-31 (a week for which he was also named Eastern League Player of the Week), having previously been so recognized for May 4-10. Bates, 25, is presently the 29th rated prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

Q&A with Ryan Kalish

The Boston Red Sox selected outfielder Ryan Kalish out of Red Bank Catholic HS in New Jersey in the 9th Round of the 2006 Draft. After spending some time in the Gulf Coast League and in Extended Spring Training, Kalish burst onto the scene with the Lowell Spinners in 2007, only to have his campaign shortened by a broken hamate bone. After feeling his way back from injury in the 2008 season, Kalish has gotten off to a strong start in 2009 and was recently promoted to Double-A with the Portland Sea Dogs. Chris Mellen of SoxProspects.com recently had a chance to sit down with Kalish and dish about baseball.

Chris Mellen: You’ve gotten off to a solid start this season, and earned a promotion in the process, after coming out of the gate slow last season and feeling your way back from injury. What has been the difference between this season and last season for you?
Ryan Kalish: I think this year I am at a more comfortable state as far as my play goes. I am kind of free now. I experienced a lot of after-surgery pain during the season last year, not that I am using that as an excuse, but I was kind of going through swing problems and thinking too much. This year it has been free and easy. I’ve been able to let that stuff go to get back to seeing the ball and hitting it rather than thinking about my mechanics, where my hands are, or where my feet are. This year I am just letting it flow and it has been a lot different.

CM: What were you looking to work on coming into this season?
RK: It wasn’t really anything mechanical. You know, at this point now that I am here in Double-A, guys seem to have it down as far as mechanics go. It’s just a mental game now. It’s about getting in the box and not worrying about mechanics. You have a plan; stick with it and just be aggressive. Last year for me it wasn’t really like that. So, I was looking to work on my mental approach coming into the season and let things go from there.

CM: Who is the teammate that has impressed you the most?
RK: I am going to have to say Aaron Bates, especially being here and seeing him go about things. The way he does things is the way you should do things. He’s new to the outfield and he’s very open to learning. He even asks a younger guy like me pointers on playing it. Bates is always trying to learn and is always positive. He’s going to get out like anyone else, but I feel like he is always trying to take something from it and bring it to the next at-bat. I really think that is a huge quality in a player and it has been helping me a lot. I haven’t had the fastest of starts in Double-A, and seeing the way he handles things has helped me as a player. So with Aaron, and Bubba (Bell), it is the same way; their mental approach to the game is something to look up to.

CM: I’m going to have to ask: Give us a self scouting report on Ryan Kalish.
RK: I would say [I’m] a guy who goes out there and tries to give it his all everyday. You know what you are going to get. A player who has some made improvements in is game, mostly hitting for some power recently.

CM: Is that something you work on (power)? How have you been hitting for more power, or is that something that comes?
RK: Yeah, it’s not something that I have tried to do. Maybe last year I get a pitch that I roll over on and this year I’m able to drive it into a gap or out of the ball park for a home run. I think it goes back to that free and easy let-it-fly mentally that I have been talking about. If the pitch isn’t there, I am taking it, and when the pitch is there I am letting it go rather than be passive with my swing. It has been a new mentality for me.

CM: What type of goals did the organization set for you coming into the season?
RK: To be honest, there isn’t a set outline or list of things, but they’ve preached about going out there and playing, you know? I’ve sat down with some of the instructors and they have been like, “You’ve got the tools, just go out there and play.” They’ve told me to go out there and be aggressive. Even coming into Spring Training this season, I had a little more of a passive swing, and they sat me down to tell me to go out there and let it go, to be aggressive. The game has been easier with this type of approach they have been talking to me about, and I think that it has made things much simpler while eliminating the complications of playing this game.

CM: Who’s been the biggest influence within the Red Sox organization on your career?
RK: I’m going to mention two guys. One is Carlos Febles, one of our hitting coaches, and he was in Lowell with me. I was in Lancaster with him as well last season. He’s really helped me with the approach that I have been trying to bring this season. Every day in Spring Training we’d get together for hitting early in the morning and it was just good to get in there, be alone, and do my thing. He’s been there to see my swing and how it has progressed. Mike Jones has been another guy that has had a huge impact on me. He’s hit every level he has played at and he has instilled in me to just let it go. In the cage it’s ok to think about it, but when it comes to the game just let it go. We have a saying, “Get the ball before it gets you.” It’s just something to remind you to be aggressive. We’ve been together for years and it has been a real good thing going between us.

CM: Back when you were drafted it was mentioned in your scouting reports that Ryan Kalish could stand to work on his plate discipline, approach at the plate, and pitch recognition. How does a player go about working on that? What have you done to become a player known for his discipline and pitch recognition like being mentioned now?
RK: I think it just comes from experience. You can’t really teach something like that. Some guys, like a big power hitter in the majors, don’t have the best discipline, but they can hit home runs. So for a player like me, that is something that I have to be good at. I think it comes from seeing pitches, man. You can do all of the soft-toss in the world, but that is for your swing. As far as your approach goes you just have to play and get at-bats. You aren’t going to see sliders from a machine or coach like you are going to see from the guys out on the mound. It’s been a good thing for me that I have been able to develop that.

CM: So, you’ve played centerfield in the system and rotated around in rightfield as well. At which position are you most comfortable in the outfield?
RK: I don’t really care to be honest. I haven’t played much left except for a few times. It doesn’t really matter as you just have to adjust to where they put you. I want to get to the big leagues so it doesn’t really matter where I am at. I’d play first base as long as I make it. But, moving around in the outfield is something that you have to get used to. Centerfield was my position as a kid and maybe I feel a little more comfortable being out there. Rightfield, the more you play it, the easier it gets. It’s nice to be in center as you are the guy in the outfield that control things. I’m a more outspoken guy so it helps for me to talk to the guys, but it doesn’t really matter to me. As long as you are moving up and getting the reps, it’s fine wherever you are.

CM: What are your early impressions in regards to the difference between Double-A and High-A?
RK: I would say that nothing really changes when all is said and done. Yes, the pitchers are better. They have a little bit more movement on pitches, especially on their fastballs. Everyone can snap off a slider or curveball along with the placement of the fastball. But, it is the same game you have been playing since you are a little kid. I think sometimes as a player you build up a jump a little more than it really is. I’ve made some adjustments in the last couple of days and am looking forward to continuing to go out there to play.

Smoltz goes 5 strong innings in Drive win

6/1 Cup of Coffee: Sunday's action saw Pawtucket down Indianapolis 7-5. Kris Johnson threw 4.2 innings giving up 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks. He had 2 strikeouts. Jose Vaquedano pitched 2.1 scoreless innings allowing a hit and a walk. Rocky Cherry tossed 1.1 clean innings. Javier Lopez faced 2 hitters allowing 1 hit. Marcus McBeth retired the only hitter he faced to end the game. Mark Kotsay went 2 for 2 with a run scored and a RBI. Freddy Guzman went 2 for 4 and scored twice.

Portland defeated Connecticut 6-4. Jarod Plummer went 5 innings allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. He fanned 5. Chris Province threw 2 scoreless, hitless innings allowing a walk. He had a strikeout. TJ Large pitched an inning giving up a run on 2 hits. Bryce Cox threw a clean 9th fanning 2 of the 3 hitters he faced. Lars Anderson went 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a RBI. Aaron Bates went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and is now hitting .348. Jorge Jimenez went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI.

Frederick blanked Salem 6-0. Jose Capellan pitched 3.2 innings allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 4. Kyle Fernandes threw 2.1 scoreless frames allowing 1 hit. He had 4 strikeouts. Jason Rice tossed 2 clean innings and had 4 strikeouts. Derrick Loop pitched an inning and gave up a walk. He fanned 1. Luis Exposito went 2 for 3 at the plate.

Greenville downed Charleston 4-1. John Smoltz got the start and threw 5 innings. He allowed a run on 4 hits. He did not give up a walk and had 6 strikeouts. Leandro Marin pitched 2.1 scoreless, hitless innings allowing 3 walks. He fanned 1. Lance McClain retired all 5 hitters he faced striking out 4 of them. David Mailman went 2 for 4 with a RBI. Tim Federowicz went 2 for 5. Ryan Dent went 2 for 2 with a run scored and a RBI.

Player of the Night: Jorge Jimenez who had 3 hits and 2 RBI in Sea Dog win